


Primal

by NympheSama



Category: Endless Summer (Visual Novel)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Anal Sex, Bonding, Damsels in Distress, Distrust, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotionally Repressed, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Eventual Sex, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gay Sex, Hurt/Comfort, Lies, M/M, Mating, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Misunderstandings, Mpreg, Music, Mystery, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Oral Sex, Phobias, Secrets, Shapeshifting, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Thriller
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-14 05:40:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 108,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29662596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NympheSama/pseuds/NympheSama
Summary: A mystical island paradiseA dark and tormented pastWill Taylor be able to keep his secrets and protect those he loves; as his worst nightmare swallows him whole
Relationships: Craig Hsiao/Zahra Namazi, Diego Soto/Varyyn (Endless Summer), Grace Hall/Aleister Rourke, Jake McKenzie/Main Character (Endless Summer), Mike Darwin/Diego Soto, Quinn Kelly/Estela Montoya, Sean Gayle/Michelle Nguyen
Comments: 39
Kudos: 8





	1. Crash And Burn

**Author's Note:**

> Howdy
> 
> This idea originally came to me when I was writing Yours, Endlessly and I decided it was finally time to write it  
> Updates may be slow as I cant play the game rn,but hopefully not too slow - no telling yet (sorry for not finishing Requiem, proving very hard rn)
> 
> Please PLEASE lemme know what you think, feedback inspires me and helps me grow - and helps me not fall to my depression! Which means I write more!
> 
> x My love to you all x

**Primal**

The dormitory was unusually quiet, students having either already returned home for the weekend, or left for the ever predictable first party, which would likely extend for the entirety of the next day and would only actually end sometime Sunday evening; when everyone abruptly recalled they had assignments which were unfortunately  _ not _ going to write themselves.

At a small, paper cluttered desk, one student was quite content to avoid the noise and the excitement of the party. Between his fingers, a short, almost  _ extinct _ pencil sat; flying across the paper beneath as his brow furrowed in concentration. His eyes darted across the various lines and shading he left behind, his lips moving silently to form the words of the loud music which blared in his ears through the tiny buds which were connected to the small music player sat on the desk, a few inches away from where his hand flew to create a stunningly life like image.

He paused, his eyes darting to his music player as a small red light flicked on, altering him to the low battery which now remained. He frowned, before returning his eyes to his paper, lifting his hand to eye the piece critically, before switching his plain pencil for some colours, hesitating and narrowing his eyes for roughly half a heartbeat, before beginning to tentatively add colour his masterpiece.

He leaned closer, particularly careful as he added colour to his favourite part of the drawing, a small smile curling his lips when he was done. With a content hum, he sat back in his chair, tossing his pencil to the desk and running his fingers through his hair as he leaned back and stretched his arms over his head. "Hmm…" he sighed at the satisfying click from his shoulders, folding his arms down behind the back of his neck as he smiled down at his creation fondly. "Don't even think about it, assbutt." He said loudly, startling the man approaching him on tiptoes from behind.

He smirked at the explosive sigh of resignation from behind him, swivelling his chair around to face his pouting roommate, slash best friend. "Aw man, I was  _ sure _ I had you this time!" Sighed a man with short black hair, his face crumbling from an excited grin to a disappointed pout, continuing to grumble as he visibly deflated, lowering his arms to his sides with a soft clap, now that his presence had been revealed.

"Diego, you're about as subtle as a brick to the face," he snickered, gently tugging one of the buds free from his ears. "When are you gonna accept, you are  _ never  _ going to sneak up on me..?" 

Diego stuck out his tongue childishly. "Taylor, one day I  _ will _ surprise you…" he insisted sullenly, striding over to his bed and dejectedly dropping onto it face first. "One day… I will…" he muttered sulkily to his pillow.

"Uh huh, and  _ one day _ you'll learn how to cook, too." Taylor snorted, shaking his head and turning his chair back to his desk, leaving Diego to his self pity as he pulled open a small drawer and reached inside, rummaging through quickly before retrieving another music player and switching it on, exchanging it quickly for his current music player by simply switching the headphones from one to the other. 

"Taylor, we both know that is a filthy, filthy lie," Diego huffed, lifting his head from his pillow to frown at his best friend. "At least  _ my _ statement had the  _ potential  _ to come true…" he said, his face breaking out in a goofy grin, as Taylor rolled his eyes and turned to face him again.

"Diego, buddy, it's  _ not  _ gonna happen… accept it, man," he snickered, his eyes on his new music player as he flicked through some of the songs curiously, before clipping it to the neck of his t-shirt and leaving it to play through them all.

Diego pouted at him, his expression so pathetic that Taylor couldn't help but laugh. "How do you  _ do that _ anyway?" He demanded for what felt like the thousandth time. "How do you  _ always  _ know?"

Taylor spread his palms and grinned as he always did. "I'm just that awesome." He repeated glibly, winking playfully as Diego snorted and grinned.

"You're never gonna tell me, are you?" He asked, propping his head on his hand and shaking it at his friend fondly.

"Nope," Taylor agreed easily, rising to his feet and groaning softly as he stretched his arms towards the ceiling. " _ Oof _ … I'm starving. You hungry?" He asked, moving towards the doorway and trotting down the hall to the joint kitchen, glad to have it to himself for the entire evening. 

"If you're cooking, I'm eating." Diego replied, following after him quickly and sitting at the kitchenette counter, watching eagerly as Taylor snorted and grabbed some things out the fridge.

"One day you're going to complain about being fat and how it's all my fault," he teased, casting Diego a sly look. "You don't  _ have  _ to eat my food, you can get take out or make your own…"

Diego shot him a scandalized look, his cheek darkening with a rosy pink hue. "Bite your tongue!" He hissed, sniffing derisively. "I will  _ never _ not gorge myself on your cooking, dude…" he huffed, snickering when Taylor rolled his eyes and quickly prepared a fresh stir fry for them both.

"So, how were classes?" He asked as he cooked. "Any cute guys in there? Or were you too  _ riveted  _ by all that fascinating  _ work _ ?" He added, glancing at Diego slyly as he blushed faintly.

"Oh, well, um…" he coughed awkwardly, shaking his head and trailing his fingers through some invisible dust on the counter, avoiding Taylor's knowing smirk. "I-I mean, there's not really… uh, well, nobody who would be um, interested, no…" he babbled, as Taylor frowned.

"Hey, anyone  _ not interested _ is an idiot, you know that?" He said, tossing his ingredients into a frying pan and ducking his head to catch Diego's reluctant gaze. "You're amazing, Diego… and somewhere out there, someone equally as amazing is waiting  _ just _ for you." He said confidently.

"Ha  _ ha _ ," Diego snorted, rolling his eyes and sighing as he folded his arms on the counter and rest his chin atop of them. "Well, I'm guessing this mysterious  _ someone _ is not a student here at Hartfeld… because here people are either just oblivious of me or, just… laugh at me." He said quietly.

"The only person allowed to make fun of you, is  _ me _ , remember?" Taylor said tightly, frowning as he glanced over at Diego. "I'm serious, if I see anyone treating you anything but perfect, I'm gonna-"

"Taylor, dude, not that I don't appreciate the whole, protective big brother thing, but shut the hell up," Diego grumbled, glancing away as his face glowed a warm, embarrassed red. "It's fine, seriously. Nobody has said anything, it's just… you know, awkward."

Taylor's frown didn't fade, his eyes cutting across to Diego quickly to assess if he was lying. "Hmm," he finally grunted, shaking his head as he concentrated on his stir fry for the remainder of it's time on the hob, before switching it off and quickly tipping his creation into two bowls. "Well, whatever. Who needs anyone else anyway, when you've got  _ me _ to take care of you and-"

" _ Feed me! _ " Diego exclaimed joyfully, bouncing up in his seat with such a grin that Taylor laughed as he handed him his bowl and snagged them a fork each from the cutlery drawer.

"Yeah, yeah… you only love me for my food." He huffed, rolling his eyes and lightly tossing Diego his fork, nudging him playfully as they headed back to their room. "So, how was class anyway? Despite having nobody  _ interesting _ for you to ogle?" He asked, grinning when Diego choked on a mouthful of stir fry.

"Dude!" His friend protested, shaking his head and banging his hand to his chest to help clear his airway. "Urgh, you seriously  _ suck  _ sometimes Taylor-"

"Oh no, buddy, I'm leaving all that to  _ you _ ," Tapr snickered, watching with amusement as Diego choked and spluttered loudly, setting his food on his desk as Taylor sat and swung in his chair lazily.

" _ Taylor! _ " Diego complained, his face glowing a deep rouge. "You are the  _ worst  _ best friend ever, oh my  _ god _ !" He babbled, running his fingers through his hair and disturbing several strands. "I'm not some sort of… of…" he stammered, floundering for the right words as Taylor snorted into his bowl of stir fry. "You know I haven't… a-and besides, it's not like  _ you've  _ ever-!"

"Oh my god, Diego, calm down already!" Taylor finally laughed, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. "I swear, you make this  _ way _ too easy, dude…" he sniggered fondly. "You know I don't judge."

Diego continued to glow like a Jack o' Lantern. "Yeah, but…" he mumbled, shaking his head as he picked up his stir fry again and stabbed at it mutinously. "You don't embarrass yourself whenever you think some guy's hot, either. I always turn into a stammering mess and end up running away."

Taylor snorted. "Yeah well, maybe my  _ perfect match _ is out there somewhere too," he scoffed, setting aside his empty bowl. "So, maybe that's why all these boys and their toys don't interest me." He said, clearing his throat and spinning his chair around to peer down at his latest drawing.

Diego noticed his switch in mood, raising a brow as his lips twitched, sliding out of his chair and crossing the room quickly. "Wow," he breathed, leaning over Taylor's shoulder as he glanced at his friend quickly. "Taylor, that's amazing…" he said, exhaling a long whistle as he examined the drawing carefully. "I take it the eyes are your favourite?" He guessed, smirking when Taylor lifted his chin and blushed faintly, refusing to answer.

"He's beautiful, dude." Diego said, sighing wistfully as he looked over the crouched man once again, extending a finger to trace his faintly surprised expression, without actually touching the paper. "Shame you can't just draw us dates for the dance, huh? We'd have the best looking dates in all of Hartfeld." He huffed, laughing when Taylor wrinkled his nose.

"I'm not going to the dance." He grumbled, glancing over his shoulder as Diego moved away. "And you  _ know  _ that…"

"I am eternally optimistic that  _ one day _ ," he said, turning to exaggerate a wink at his best friend. "Your frosty demeanor shall melt; and you'll finally come with me."

"You could just stay here with me," Taylor countered easily, grinning as he propped his chin in his hand. "We could binge Sunset Beach.  _ Way _ more fun." 

Diego frowned, clearly tempted briefly, before shaking his head determinedly. "No, ye shall not distract me from my plan, wicked harlot..!" He cried dramatically.

"Did you just call me a  _ harlot _ ?" Taylor demanded with amusement, raising a brow as he grinned at Diego's exuberance.

"I, Diego Ricardo Ortiz Soto, am  _ going  _ to the dance!" Diego thundered, holding up his bowl of stir fry as he posed heroically. "I  _ will _ make friends and perhaps even meet,  _ the one _ !"

"Uh huh, sure you will Cinderella," Taylor snorted, rolling his eyes as he rose to his feet with a faint huff and swept up his empty bowl, grabbing Diego's from his raised hand as he passed. "Just be sure you're back before midnight, huh? Ya know, before all those shining princes turn back into dumbass jocks and pumpkins."

Diego pouted at Taylor, his arm flopping back to his side loudly. "Way to spoil a dream there, Taylor," he grumbled, sighing as he rolled his eyes and followed him back to the kitchen.

Taylor smiled, offering his friend a wink as he headed toward the sink and reached for the taps. "Oh, dude! I forgot to tell you," Diego gasped suddenly, rustling in his pocket briefly before pulling out a crumpled piece of paper. "We won the competition!"

Taylor frowned, glancing back at Diego with a raised brow as the sink filled with soapy water. "What competition?" He asked, grimacing briefly before he plunged his hands in the water and began cleaning their things.

"The trip!" Diego gushed quickly, his exasperation clear at Taylor's indifference. "Ten students, selected at random to fly over to a magical, tropical island for one week!" He read from the sheet quickly, raising his excited gaze to Taylor's when he frowned over at him.

"I didn't enter any competition…" he said flatly.

"Uh, duh, you think I'm gonna sign up to something and _not_ sign you up too?" Diego scoffed, shaking his head as if Taylor had said something especially ridiculous. "But anyway, this was actually a compulsory thing… the whole _college_ was entered and _we_ _both_ got through! There was an announcement on the board that the winners had been chosen and this letter was put through the door just before I went to class!" He said, gesturing to the paper in his hands eagerly.

"Oh?" Taylor hummed dismissively, far more interested in the song he could hear blaring in his ear than their mysterious luck in a contest he hadn't even entered. "When is it?" He wondered, mostly to appease Diego's apparent disappointment in his lack of interest.

"We fly out next Saturday!" Diego cheered excitedly, laughing when Taylor raised his brows in mild inrerest at last. "I know, I know, they left it pretty late… but hey, who cares about that when you're given a  _ free _ week in paradise? It says to pack for 'fun in the sun and a getaway like no other' which…" Diego paused, a frown marring his brow briefly. "Is kind of like something out of a horror movie, now I think about it... but hey, we  _ won _ !"

Taylor laughed at the thoughtful grumbles of his friend, before his clear excitement won him over again. "Fine, fine…" he huffed. "So where is this magical, murderous island?" He asked with vague curiosity.

"Uh," Diego hummed, turning over the paper in his hands quickly. "It's called La… something or other, um… oh! There it is!  _ La Huerta- _ "

Taylor dropped the pan in his hands, hissing as it crashed back into the sink and caused a wave of soapy water to soak the front of his shirt. " _ What _ ?!" He demanded sharply, ignoring his wet shirt as he whirled around to face his friend with wide eyes, the colour rapidly fleeing from his cheeks in his shock.

"Dude, what the hell?" Diego asked, frowning at Taylor's quickening breath and glancing at his white knuckled grip on the sink behind him. "What's wr-?"

"I am  _ not _ going." Taylor said firmly, scowling at Diego as his friend reeled back from the hostility of his tone.

"What?  _ Why _ ?" Diego spluttered, confused by Taylor's behaviour. "Dude, it's a freaking  _ island paradise _ and it's an all expenses paid trip!" He argued, shaking his head in bafflement as Taylor grit his teeth and shoved away from the sink, storming down the hall to their room. "Taylor, we've worked  _ hard _ to get here! I thought you'd be glad of the chance to  _ relax _ a little, ya know? Some privacy and-" he said, trotting after Taylor to try and keep up with his friend.

"Diego, there is no way in _hell_ I am going to that island." Taylor said flatly, turning with a vicious swing of his arm through the air. "There is _nothing_ you can say, _nothing_ you can do and I mean _nothing_ _at all_ … that would _ever_ convince me to go."

Diego stared at Taylor in disbelief, watching his shoulders rise and fall heavily in his flustered state, his cheeks now recovering a pink tinge as fury replaced his shock. "But… we always said!" He protested, shaking his head as he tried to understand what had caused Taylor's sudden outburst. "We were going to explore the world, find adventure and-"

" _Not_ _there_." Taylor fumed insistently, shaking his head vehemently as Diego hesitantly stepped closer, only for Taylor to dodge away quickly. "H-how the hell can _I_ have even won? I'm not a _student_ , Diego!" He said hurriedly, turning to Diego with wide, near desperate eyes. "I'm just… just some guy! I'm just your secret room mate who snuck in because you were lucky enough to have nobody in with you!"

Diego ducked his head, blushing lightly as he waved the letter in his hand awkwardly. "That's what it says…" he mumbled, shifting his weight guiltily. "Diego Soto and… and room mate." He admitted.

"Great, so then you can take just about  _ anyone _ in my place really, can't you?" Taylor said dismissively, turning away and running his hands through his hair, his fingers clutching at the back of his head as his shoulders remained tightly locked.

"But… Taylor," Diego said quietly, looking back at his friend sadly. "I don't  _ want _ to take anyone else… I want to go with  _ you _ !" He pleaded, spreading his arms. "You're my  _ best friend,  _ dude," he said, "hell, you're practically my  _ brother _ , please…  _ please _ come with me! We'll have a real adventure, before we even leave college!"

Taylor exhaled a deep breath slowly, closing his eyes as he listened to the distracting beat of the music in his ear. "No." He said at last, ignoring Diego's gasp of surprise from behind him. "I told you, Diego… I'm  _ not _ going." Taylor pretended not to notice Diego's sharp breath, opening his eyes slowly to stare blankly at the wall. He focused on the beat of the music in his ear, allowing it to drown out the palpable sense of Diego's pain and confusion. 

"Uh, well…" Diego paused, swallowing thickly and shuffling back toward the door awkwardly, uncomfortable from the unexpected argument. "I guess, we can talk about it later." He said, shaking his head as Taylor snorted loudly. "I'm… gonna go finish the washing up." He mumbled, before leaving Taylor alone in their room, giving them both a moment to breathe and calm their tempers.

Diego sighed as he returned to the kitchen and scrubbed the remaining dishes and pans, frowning at Taylor's unusually hostile behaviour. It had been some time since his best friend had been quite  _ so _ stubborn about something, well, towards Diego at least; and especially when it was supposed to have been something  _ good _ , like an all expenses paid trip to a beautiful, exotic island. "But," he thought aloud, resting his hands on the side of the sink as he narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "He usually has a reason, I guess… maybe, if I ask him to explain what's up, we can work through this and figure out what his issue is."

His mind set, Diego nodded to himself and turned away from the now empty sink, pulling the water to allow the water to drain away. "Hey, assbutt, I'm sorry for springing it on you like that…" he called as he walked back toward their room. "Can we-?" But Diego fell silent as he walked through the door, sighing in resignation as he beheld the empty room and the open window behind Taylor's bed, where the net curtains drifted in a lazy breeze.

"Man, I need to nail his ass to the floor one day…" he huffed, shaking his head as he moved to the window and stuck his head out briefly. "Taylor!" He called, but was unsurprised when he received no reply. With a deep, regretful sigh, Diego pulled himself back into their room, knowing his friend would return when he had shaken off whatever was bothering him. He turned to Taylor's desk, clicking his tongue as he flicked the corner of his drawing with his fingers. "Maybe  _ you _ can talk some sense into him." He grumbled, rolling his eyes and turning away when the drawing remained as unhelpfully silent as any drawing would, the figures wide, fearful eyes staring at the ceiling.

On the rooftop, Taylor grit his teeth and balled his hands into fists, ignoring the guilt he felt for not responding to his best friend as he drowned himself in his music; having turned it as high as he was able and stuffed both buds into his ears again, hanging his head between his knees as he sat alone in the middle of the roof and wrapped his trembling arms around his head.

The following morning, Taylor ducked back into their room only to grab his bag and a new music player, not even taking the time to place the others on charge before hurrying from the room before Diego could wake up and catch him there. He left the dormitory quickly and quietly, even heading right off campus, allowing his thoughts to be obscured by his new selection of music as he strolled down the street and headed for the nearby park.

He couldn't recall the last time he'd spent a whole night, let alone the entire following day, away from Diego… but he couldn't face his friend, knowing he would need to explain his reaction the previous evening. Forcing aside his melancholy, he quickened his pace to a light jog, hurrying through the park gates and avoiding the large lake where young couples were already beginning to wander together.  _ Stupid, hormonal idiots. _ He thought grumpily, shaking his head as he made his way instead to a quiet grove of trees.

Ignoring the polite notice which informed everyone to stay on the path, Taylor strolled between the thick trunks and looked up at the thin canopy above him, smiling at the way the leaves stained the sunlight green. After several long minutes perusing, he finally walked up to a tall oak and examined it thoughtfully before kicking off his shoes and quickly leaping to grab the nearest low branch. With a well practiced ease, he swung through the branches until he found himself a comfortable perch near the canopy, sighing contently as he leaned against the trunk and swung his bag into his lap, pulling out a small pad of paper and a pencil which was barely more than a stub of wood with a minuscule point.

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes and enjoying the soothing notes of his music, tinkling softly in his ears. With a smile he opened his eyes and began to draw, focusing his every ounce of concentration onto the page and the picture which slowly came to life beneath his quickly darting hand.

Several hours he managed to squander in this manner, the sun passing over the canopy above him and slowly lowering on the far side, though he still had no inclination to move anytime soon. Until of course, the inevitable finally caught up to him. "Taylor..?" He sighed at the familiar call of his name, blinking as he slowly retreated from the pleasant, distracting world of his drawing and knocking his head back against the tree trunk behind him. "Taylor, c'mon… don't make me cook for  _ myself _ !" 

Taylor huffed a small chuckle, shaking his head against the bark as a wry grin tugged at his lips. Trust Diego to use his stomach as a weapon. With a reluctant sigh, he peered down through the branches of his hideaway, watching a lone figure shuffle awkwardly through the trees.

"Taylor!" Diego called again, glancing around himself uneasily. "Urgh, you know I hate having to hunt you down like this… you always hide somewhere you're not supposed to be." He grumbled, as Taylor sniggered to himself, his heart twisting uncomfortably as he remembered their fight. "Look, I don't pretend to understand but… if you don't wanna come on the trip then, you don't have to, okay? I just, I wanted us to have a mini adventure, before college gets even harder, ya know?" He explained, running his hand through his hair as Taylor's heart constricted in his chest.

For as long as he'd known Diego, his friend had been excited to find a real life adventure, to find friendship and maybe even a romance which would sweep him off his feet. He sighed, wishing vehemently that his friend had chosen to begin his quest absolutely _anywhere_ _else_.

"Taylor, please… I feel so stupid talking to a bunch of trees like this." Diego called through the trees, searching for him through the thick trunks. "Please can you come back now? If you're really not coming with me then, I don't want to have you avoiding me the whole week  _ before _ I go…"

Taylor grit his teeth, his almost nonexistent pencil slipping from his hand and bouncing through the branches of his appropriated tree as his fingers clutched his notepad tightly.  _ He's going to go anyway, even if I don't?!  _ He thought frantically, swallowing heavily as his breath quickened.  _ Of course he is, he doesn't understand… but, maybe he'll be okay there, I mean, how much trouble can  _ **_Diego_ ** _ really get into on his own anyway? _ He groaned quietly, his thoughts conjuring plenty of terrible and terrifying images to answer his own questions.

"Okay, well… I guess I'm," Diego called awkwardly, making odd gestures with his hands as he struggled to decide what to do with them. "I'm gonna just, head back and uh, hope you'll be back later?" 

Taylor opened his mouth to call back, before biting his lip instead, frowning as he glanced away from his friend. Diego sighed and slowly made his way out of the trees, heading back to the dormitory as Taylor remained in his tree, staring out into the furthest reaches of the canopy as he was forced to consider all the thoughts and fears which he'd been trying to avoid.

He did not return to campus until long after midnight, creeping through the hall like a silent shadow and peeking carefully around the door to his and Diego's room before stepping inside, confirming his best friend was asleep, despite hearing his quiet snores from all the way down the hall. He quietly set his bag by his desk, selecting another music player from his drawer before placing all three of his used players on charge at once and grabbing clean underwear and a t-shirt to sleep in. He slipped into the hall again and quickly made his way to the bathroom, grimacing as he removed the headphones from his ears and stripped out of his clothes for a rapid shower; quickly stuffing the buds back into his ears as soon as he was dry and dressed.

He turned the volume down as he walked back into his and Diego's room, glancing at his friend and inching closer when he saw that his covers had slid off the side of his bed. He pulled them over Diego and gazed down at him thoughtfully, distress smothering him as he thought of his best, his  _ only _ friend on the island of his worst nightmares; La Huerta.

He whined quietly, hesitating for an extended pause, before laying down atop Diego's covers, tentatively nuzzling his nose into his friends hair and curling into a tight ball beside him. "Please... don't go," he whispered pleadingly.

"Hmm…" Diego hummed sleepily, shifting back as he sensed Taylor's added weight beside him and fumbling to free his arm from his covers, offering his hand to his distressed friend. "Com' wimme…" he mumbled thickly, still more than half asleep.

Taylor whimpered low in his throat, squeezing his eyes closed and biting the inside of his cheek until it bled. He allowed Diego to hold his hand until he was sure he was asleep again, before rising from the bed and crossing the room to sit at his desk, knowing sleep would be unlikely to find him for several hours more while his heart was so conflicted.

The week passed awkwardly, as Taylor did not wish to discuss his aversion to what Diego considered 'their lucky break' but similarly, did not wish to miss out on further time with his friend. For as long as he'd been Taylor, Diego had been by his side; and the imminent separation was not easy for him to accept. By friday, his nerves were all but raw, tattered roots while his emotions fluctuated wildly at the slightest of provocation.

It was proving most distressing… but still, he did not bring up Diego's imminent departure, even as he sat on the end of his bed and watched him finish packing. 

"You'll be sure to keep out of trouble, right?" Diego asked, flicking him a concerned look and Taylor grunted noncommittally. "I mean it, Taylor… no being a jerk or picking fights. Just, try to get on with everyone, okay?"

Taylor grunted again, neither agreeing to or refusing his friends request. He glanced at Diego when he sighed in exasperation, pausing his packing to frown over at him. "Please?" He repeated. "I don't want to come back and find you've been evicted…"

"They can't evict me," Taylor grumbled petulantly. "I don't  _ live _ here, not so far as anyone actually  _ knows _ anyway…" he said sourly, turning away and scowling at his desk.

" _ Tayloooor _ ," Diego groaned, sighing at Taylor's continued stubbornness. 

" _ Diegoooo _ ," Taylor mimicked childishly, glaring at his friend reproachfully.

They glowered at each other for an extended pause, before Diego averted his eyes and ran his hand through his hair. "Okay look, give me  _ one _ good reason why I shouldn't go. Just one…" he said, walking over slowly and sitting on Taylor's bed, a short distance away from him. "And if it  _ is _ a good reason, I'll  _ consider  _ not going."

Taylor immediately perked, sitting straight as he turned his music down and looked over at his friend beside him. "It's an important part of your course… you could miss something that's gonna be on your next test!" He offered eagerly.

"I'm ahead in all my classes and if I  _ do _ miss anything, I can catch up by checking out the video online…" Diego countered easily, raising his eyes to the ceiling thoughtfully. "I can probably even watch the class while I'm there, if I really want to." 

Taylor scowled briefly, before pouncing on the next thought which came to mind. "You'll miss the dance!" He said brightly, wiggling his brows suggestively. "You've been on about going for  _ ages _ , you'll be bummed to have missed it!"

"You won't go with me and going stag  _ sucks _ when you don't even have a friend to talk to," Diego said, smiling and shaking his head. "Besides, I'm sure there will be plenty of chances to dance on the island; and with less people to embarrass myself in front of."

Taylor thought briefly, before blurting out an offer which made him grimace. "What if… I goto the dance with you?"

Diego laughed. "You really are desperate!" He snorted, sobering slowly when Taylor only continued to peer at him intently. "Taylor…" he sighed. "Tell me the truth…  _ why  _ are you so against this trip?" He asked, frowning when Taylor glanced away.

Taylor inhaled a deep breath, narrowing his eyes at the floor and swallowing thickly as he bit his lip. This was it; if he wanted Diego to listen to him, he needed to be honest. "It's dangerous." He said slowly, flicking his eyes to his friend briefly before glancing away again, licking his lips and gripping the edge of his bed tightly. "The island isn't safe."

"Oh,  _ Taylor… _ " Diego sighed, shaking his head at him fondly as his expression melted. "Dude,  _ nowhere  _ is ever completely safe… but there's gonna be a tonne of staff and security all over the place. It's as safe as-"

" _ No _ ." Taylor bit out firmly, scowling at the floor as he dug his fingernails into his mattress. "You don't understand, Diego… this is  _ different _ , okay? It's…" he paused, struggling to find the words to explain. "Look, hardly  _ anything  _ is known about that stupid island…  _ please _ , Diego… don't go." He pleaded, looking up at his friend with a piercing gaze.

Diego hesitated, clearly swayed by Taylor's intense concerns about his safety, before shaking his head gently. "Taylor, I'm not turning down the opportunity of a lifetime, just because the islands partially unexplored or whatever," he said, wincing when Taylor hissed and rose from the bed sharply. "C'mon, dude, please! Taylor, it's  _ just _ a week!"

Taylor scowled over his shoulder at Diego. "A week is more than enough." He said bitterly, before storming out of the room and down the hall.

Diego deflated as he sat on the edge of Taylor's bed, flinching and finally sagging dejectedly when he heard the dormitory door slam. "Guess I'll see you next week then…" he sighed sadly, staring at the floor for a moment before returning to his packing.

Outside, Taylor ran as fast as he could, desperately trying to outrun the awful sense of foreboding which tried to overwhelm him. He raced away from the campus and through the park, not even bothering to glance at his favourite grove of trees, disappearing into the darkness of the night while his music blasted loudly in his ears and hid the panicked thump of his tormented heart.

Saturday morning found Taylor running at top speed across asphalt, a small suitcase bouncing dangerously as he raced to dump it with a small pile of others, hurrying to leap up a short flight of stairs and propelled himself into a small plane; hurrying down the aisle to pant heavily before a surprise Diego. 

They stared at each other for a tense breath, before Taylor finally forced a small, crooked grin. "Just a week, right?" He repeated, his smile growing more natural as Diego sighed in relief.

"Just a week." He assured, smiling gratefully and sliding into the window seat as Taylor quickly slipped in beside him and fastened his seatbelt. "Are you scared of flying?" Diego asked curiously, raising a brow as Taylor exhaled a shuddering breath and wiped sweat from his brow with the back of his arm.

"No," he replied, shaking his head as he glanced around the plane at the other passengers, the other 'lucky' winners, he presumed. "I'm scared of landing." He whispered just as the engines roared to life, briefly drowning out his music, before Taylor turned up the volume and slowly closed his eyes.


	2. Heaven... or hell?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, now how was THAT for a quick update???!  
> I wanted to post this yesterday really but I was weak and slept
> 
> I really REALLY hope you like this, I am having a BLAST and I just- Mmm, much love
> 
> Thankyou to everyone who is reading, and to my friends who have helped making this possible by sending me lots of screenshots while I cant play myself 🤣 your sacrifice is much appreciated!
> 
> Thankyou everyone! I love you all so much! Let's gooooo!
> 
> x My love to you all x

**Primal**

The jungle was swelteringly hot, the air sticky and uncomfortable against his skin. Flowers glowed all around him, beautiful shades of all the colours imaginable, pulsing faintly; a perfect harmony to the soft throb of danger, its stench thick and cloying in the air all around him.

Crouched in the foliage, half hidden by the clever blending of a green jacket, a man with wide, cerulean eyes stared at him with a horrified gaze. "Stay down!" He whispered fervently, his sandy hair flicking around his face as he turned to peek around the edge of the tree he hid behind. "It's coming this way!"

Taylor's heart raced, his pulse thundering in his ears as he tried and failed to catch his breath, unable to calm himself as a large shadow prowled just beyond the tree; its glowing, golden eyes flashing dangerously as it stared at him intently through the thick foliage.

He stumbled backwards, a wild, panicked cry ripping from his throat as the shadowy beast crouched low and twitched tellingly, a growl rumbling so deeply in its throat that Taylor could feel it vibrating beneath his feet.

He gasped as it the shadowy beast launched from it's hiding place, long claws outstretched toward him as it opened its sharp fanged maw-

Taylor woke with a start, jolting in his seat as he gasped for breath and ran his fingers through his damp hair quickly, glancing around to see if anyone had noticed his sudden awakening. "Holy shit…" he huffed, relieved to have awoken from the awful nightmare and attempting to banish it from his memory, though he anticipated having little success.

He rubbed his eyes as they prickled uncomfortably and began to water, adjusting to the unexpected brightness of the sun through the windows. He turned to peer across the aisle, gazing out of the far window blearily and scowled at the innocently glittering, crystal clear waters below them. _Urgh,_ he thought, wrinkling his nose and quickly averting his eyes, glancing down at his music player and checking its remaining battery, still trying to push away the discomfort of his lingering nightmare.

"I hate the sea," he grumbled beneath his breath, shivering and gripping the handles of his seat as the plane bounced from a small gust of turbulence. He closed his eyes and tried to steady his breathing, inhaling deeply as music thudded heavily in his ears and exhaling slowly when a guitar solo ripped over the hectic drumbeat.

He almost leapt out of his seat when a finger gently prodded at his shoulder, turning an accusatory glare at his best friend when his heart began to race in his chest once again. "Oh wow, _thanks_ Diego, I didn't want to slow my stupid heart down or anything…" he snarked, rolling his eyes at Diego's semi-repentant grin.

"Sorry," he said, sounding anything but. "I was just curious if you were going to be asleep the _whole_ flight, or if you might ya know… wanna talk to me at all before we get there?" He said, his expression melting into a goofy smirk. "I had no idea you were such a sleepyhead when flying."

"Shut up, assbutt," he grumbled sourly, leaning his head back against his chair as he yawned tiredly. "Sleeping this whole traumatic experience away would be a blessing, hell, I'd encourage you to sleep all this coming week if I could," he groused irritably.

"Uh huh, you know, sometimes you wake up just like a bear with a sore head." Diego sighed, rolling his eyes with a small snort. "Nobody _forced_ you to come-"

" _You_ forced me to come," Taylor argued sullenly, pouting over at him when Diego groaned and rolled his head toward him on the back of his seat. "I couldn't exactly let you come alone, could I? I mean, you'd _starve_ dude-" Taylor broke off with a snicker as Diego scoffed and aimed a playful jab at him, which he deftly avoided, now that he was awake and paying attention.

"You do realise Raj Bhandarkar is one of the other winners?" Diego said haughtily, rolling his eyes at Taylor's instant pout. "I'm sure his food is nowhere near as good as _yours_ , though," he added sarcastically.

Taylor knew it was only to appease him, but he smirked at his friends statement nonetheless. "You know you'd have felt miserable the whole trip if I hadn't come," he said confidently. "Which, would have made the whole thing pointless; and then you would have hated me when you got back, so _obviously_ my only choice was to come with you, so that whenever this stupid island starts inevitably throwing its shit at you, I can protect you…" he rambled obliviously, grimacing as he glanced around the plane distrustfully.

"Dude, you are disturbed on so many levels…" Diego sighed wearily from beside him. "Can't you just let this go? I mean, we're _finally_ on our way! You, me and the other eight winners are gonna have an awesome time. The _island_ is going to do absolutely _nothing_ ; other than let us have the adventure of a lifetime and prove that _you_ are nothing but a big, old worry wart… and that _I_ was right all along." He huffed, as Taylor promptly rolled his eyes and ignored him.

Instead, he studied the other 'winners' of Diego's mystery competition, narrowing his eyes at them all dubiously and debating which might pose the biggest threat to his best friend, should _anything_ go wrong on the island. 

"A magical week in paradise, here we come!" Gushed a cheerful looking redhead, her bright eyes alight with joy as she gazed out her window at the glittering sea, like Taylor had moments before; but apparently more impressed by the sight than he had been.

Taylor considered her carefully, thinking back to see if he could recall her name. _Quinn_ , he thought, nodding to himself and assigning her a low threat score of two. _She's in the art rooms a lot, her portraits are good, but her abstract and landscapes are even better_. He remembered from one of his curious explorations of the art department.

A light smile ghosted his lips as he recalled a night when he had seen her working late one evening, her focus entirely fixed on her painting and not noticing the purple paint which the ends of her hair had dipped into. He watched the excitement on her face for a moment, her eyes fixing onto the tiny island approaching from the distant horizon, before shaking his head and easing her threat assessment all together.

Quinn was good in his book.

"All expenses paid! _Chyeaaah, brah_ !" Taylor jumped in his seat at the loud boom, narrowing his eyes at the culprit; a man with shoulders broad enough to carry two people with ease. "What, _whaaaat_?!" He cheered delightedly, as Taylor examined his football sweater quickly.

 _Number sixty five_ , he thought narrowing his eyes. _Craig Hsiao?_ He wondered, before confirming his guess for himself, replaying a memory of the giant in game from a clip which Diego had shown him, trying to encourage some sort of interest in the game.

He'd had little success and had given up his efforts rather quickly.

Taylor ran his eyes over Craig critically. The man was supposed to be one of Hartfeld's star players, though, his broad grin and dustbin lid hands inspired little faith for matching intelligence anywhere but the football field.

 _Loud and obnoxious, but clearly strong physically…_ he thought, narrowing his eyes and slapping Craig with a cautionary threat level of eight. He watched Craig clap his hands around the headrest of the seat before him, excitement palpable in his quivering shoulders; and tentatively slid him from an eight to a seven.

Diego was always telling him to trust others and give them a chance, after all. He might not be prepared to trust such a giant _oaf_ as Craig with Diego's safety, but he would give him the smallest benefit of the doubt for now… until the island inevitably began to shit all over them.

"Good thing too, dude!" A jovial voice cheered, drawing Taylor's attention to a large man with a rotund belly, his skin a milky chocolate brown. "I'm so deep in student debt, I couldn't even afford instant Ramen noodles right now!" 

Taylor's lip twitched with a faint hint of fondness, though his eyes narrowed accusingly. Raj Bhandarkar was well known as _the_ must have guest for any party; on or off campus. His love of food and drink were renowned among other students, his passion and skill in a kitchen rivaled by none; except for perhaps Taylor himself, though the only person aware of that fact was Diego, who couldn't keep toast from burning if his life depended on it.

If there was a party to be found, Raj would sniff it out; and if there wasn't, he would throw his own. Taylor snorted, shaking his head fondly and awarding the party lover a timid four, being generous only because his party loving nature could after all, be a deadly ruse.

"Hey," Diego's voice cut through his thoughts abruptly and Taylor glanced toward him with a vaguely curious hum, raising a brow at his friends frown. "Tell me you're _not_ doing threat assessments…" he said, though his exasperated tome made it clear that he held little hope he was wrong about Taylor's current thoughts.

"I'm not doing threat assessments." Taylor repeated blandly, casting his eyes over the other three passengers again quickly, before grinning lopsidedly at his best friend.

Diego groaned and slumped in his seat. "Dude, I've _told_ you! You can't just assume everyone is out to get us!" He hissed in an exasperated whisper. "Why can't we all just enjoy our week in paradise, before we go back to Hartfeld and ignoring each other again? What makes you think they're _suddenly_ gonna go crazy and attack us _now_?"

Taylor narrowed his eyes. "Because it's _now_ that we're on La Huerta… or, soon, anyway."

"Oh my god, you're crazy…" Diego grumbled wearily, sighing and looking out his window forlornly, before glancing back at Taylor, noticing his fingers were tightly curled around the end of his arm rests again. "Hey, seriously… are you okay, Taylor?" He asked, frowning as he let Taylor's overprotectiveness go for the time being. "Bad dream?"

Taylor shook his head, grimacing and refusing to recall his dream from the depths of his mind where he'd banished it to. "No, just…" he sighed, pursing his lips briefly as he debated the merit of mentioning again, his state of unease. "Just the usual." He muttered darkly, turning away and running his fingers through his hair tiredly. "I haven't slept well all week… I doubt I will until we get back home, to be honest."

Diego frowned at him. "Taylor… why did you come, if this place makes you feel so obviously uncomfortable?" He asked, raising a worried brow at his friend when he looked back at him.

"Because I couldn't let you come alone." He said frankly, shrugging his shoulder as Diego blinked in surprise. "I would have driven myself crazy worrying; plus, I wouldn't have been able to help, whenever things fuck up."

Diego sighed, shaking his head sadly. "I think it's time we got you a new hobby dude, your imagination is running away with you again." He huffed. "No more Sunset Beach, Terror Island for yo-" he said, breaking off abruptly as a deep red blush began to spread over his cheeks, his eyes quickly lowering to his lap.

Taylor raised a brow, a grin flickering on his lips as he watched Diego blush and flit covert glances at the aisle. He raised his eyes to a dark skinned, broad shouldered man, heading towards them. "Why, Diego… have you been harbouring a secret crush on someone?" He asked, amusement lightening his mood.

" _Shhh!_ " Diego hissed, scowling as he slapped Taylor's chest hard. "Dude, that's _Sean freaking Gayle_!" He said in hurried, hushed tones, gesturing wildly with his hands.

Taylor stared at Diego blankly, not recalling the name or whatever he was supposed to know him from. Finally he shrugged, grinning at Diego's exasperated groan at his persistent ignorance.

"Dude!" He complained, before blushing darkly again, ducking his head and shoving hard at Taylor's shoulder. "Just… say something cool!" He hissed, as Taylpr practically fell out of his chair and into the aisle.

"Whoa…" rumbled a deep voice, seeming somewhat amused and surprised as Taylor tumbled into his path, before quickly dodging back several steps, preventing him from colliding with him. "Hello there. Those are some mighty nice reflexes, man."

Taylor hummed noncommittally, fidgeting uncomfortably as he nodded distractedly, looking anywhere but the large man blocking his path back to his seat.

"My friend here, Taylor?" Diego said helpfully, his cheeks still flushed from embarrassment and excitement. "He uh, he has something he wants to say to you!" He said, before quickly ducking his head to hide a grin behind a plane pamphlet. 

Taylor shot Diego a murderous scowl, narrowing his eyes and hissing a quiet curse beneath his breath. He turned to the broad chested man in the aisle, smiling at him pleasantly; and offered a tight, awkward half smile of his own. "Uh," he coughed, casting a half assessing look over the tight white shirt and arms which were all but bulging with muscles. "Wanna get outta my way?" He demanded blandly, his brow furrowing into a frown as he decided Sean's potential threat was at least as high as Craig's; if not higher, due to his obvious higher intelligence.

"Huh?" Sean blinked, as Diego's silent laughter quickly morphed to a resigned sigh.

"What? You think you can just take up all that room with those big muscles?" Taylor sneered, folding his arms over his chest menacingly. "Think again, bud!" He snorted derisively.

Sean blinked his wide eyes, glancing to Diego uncertainly, who shrugged apologetically, before returning his disbelieving gaze to Taylor. "How, uh, rude… of me…" he said awkwardly, excusing himself by gesturing toward the back of the plane and sliding past Taylor when he helpfully stepped aside.

" _Pfft_ ," Taylor scoffed smugly as he turned to watch Sean glance back at him uncertainly.

"Taylor, we have _got_ to work on your people skills." Diego sighed, shaking his head regretfully. "Can't you just _try_ and be sociable?"

"I was sociable," Taylor countered, grinning over at Diego fondly. "Now, Mister Muscle over there knows not to mess with you, or even _look_ at you… or I'll beat him and his muscles to a pulp."

Diego peeked back at Sean through the gap between the seats, his face twisting with a shy pout. "But… I mean, maybe it could be kinda cool if he looked…" he mumbled, his cheeks darkening as he sighed and quickly faced forward again, staring forlornly at the seat in front of his. "And I mean, not _all_ messes are bad… I think I might of enjoyed-"

Taylor sighed heavily and rolled his eyes, unfolding his arms from his chest and scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. "Hey, uh, Sean, was it?" He called, glancing awkwardly at Sean when he turned back with a surprised look. "I uh, I'm sorry… big muscles in my face out of nowhere kind of make me, uh, anxious… or something," he coughed awkwardly, ignoring Diego as he practically beamed at him from the safety of his seat.

"Oh… no worries," Sean called back, chuckling quietly as he glanced down at himself. "They're all for show on the field, really."

Taylor nodded, pretending to pay attention as he instead watched Diego make silent gestures of encouragement from his seat. "Hmm, yeah, cool…" he muttered distractedly. "So, uh, ever… wanted to hook up on a plane?" He asked, cringing at the words even as they fell from his mouth.

Diego all but rolled over in his chair, torm between fascination and morbid embarrassment at Taylor's apparent swing in personality. 

Sean chuckled, running his eyes over Taylor thoughtfully, a smile tugging at his lips as Taylor bristled and stiffened. "Ya know, it's on my bucket list…" he admitted, raising a brow when Taylor feigned a heavy sigh.

"Oh, _great_ ," he huffed, grabbing Diego by the elbow and dragged him up to stand beside him in the aisle. "He has been just _dying_ to cross it off his own uh, bucket thingy and, well I figured, you only live once, right? So why not-"

"Ha, ha, ha _ha_ !" Diego laughed awkwardly, shoving Taylor hard into the seat beside him and ignoring his knowing smirk as he stood in front of him and blocked him from Sean's sight. "Oh, man… Taylor is just _such_ a gag… oh, he's uh, he's a real funny guy," he coughed awkwardly, glancing at Sean with his cheeks glowing pink. "Wow, it's uh, really hot… tropical island approaching, ha, ha… _ha…_ "

Sean glanced at where Taylor was now hidden by the back of a seat, his own cheeks darkening as Diego rambled. "Uh, well…" he coughed quietly, smiling awkwardly at Diego. "Looks like we missed our chance anyway… I think we're landing soon."

Taylor poked his head over the back of his chair, feigning a pitying sigh. "Oh damn, huh?" He said with suspicious innocence, ignoring the finger which Diego pointed at him warningly behind the seat. "Hope you're not the kind to believe in _signs_ or anything…"

Sean smiled as he backed toward his seat. "Depends on the sign, I guess." He said, half raising his hand before turning and sliding back into his seat.

"Huh, well, maybe he's able to take subtle hints afterall?" Taylor commented innocently, looking up at Diego with a grin as he groaned and sank back into his seat, covering his face with his hands.

"Oh my god, I hate you… I hate you, I hate you, I _hate-_ " he hissed under his breath, pulling at his hair as he stared in horror at the back of the seat in front of him. "That's it. I can't face Sean for the rest of the week… I'll die. I will _literally_ die of embarrassment after all of… _that_."

Taylor's grin grew hopeful. "Great!" He said cheerfully, sitting up and leaning across the aisle, perching on the armrest of the seat he'd fallen into. "We can just go ahead and fly _straight_ back home! No need to hang around an island where you might bump into Sean the Brawn again, huh?"

Diego hesitated, glancing over at Taylor's eager expression and immediately flopped back in his seat. "Oh no, I'm not giving in that easy…" he huffed, smirking as Taylor's hopeful expression withered away. "I can just stay in my room all week, watching cat videos on YouTube and living off of room service…"

Taylor pouted. "You can do that at home… I can make you vodka jelly babies every night-" he offered, only half hopeful before Diego cut him off with a laugh.

"You really are desperate," he snorted. "But no, my friend, my buddy, my pal… I'm gonna have an island adventure… in my room, where I never have to face Sean Gayle again." He said, pouting over at Taylor grimly. "I may never forgive you for this, you know."

Taylpr grinned disarmingly, wiggling his brows from his perch across the aisle. "Disarono and chocolate chip cookies." He whispered playfully, exaggerating a wink as Diego snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Oh well, being mad at you sucks anyway… damn, I want those cookies already," Diego sighed happily, ignoring Taylor's knowing smirk and grimacing as he struggled to dig his phone put of his pocket. "Well, we should be landing in… huh," he frowned as the screen flashed on, cocking his head thoughtfully. "Is it really five fifteen?"

Taylor leaned back on his armrest perch, snagging his own phone from his pocket and glancing down at the screen as he nodded his head to the new song which had just begun on his music player. "Uh," he said, frowning as he glanced at the screen briefly, before looking back at Diego and returning his phone to his pocket again. "Yup, looks like… why?"

"Weird…" Diego mumbled, frowning down at his screen a moment longer, before looking up at Taylor with a dismissive shrug. "We were supposed to have landed an hour ago, if it really is…" he said, putting his phone away and not noticing the sudden rigidity of Taylor's shoulders. "Heh, I didn't think you'd been snoring _that_ long, mister 'scared of flying'..."

Taylor frowned distractedly, his new song forgotten as he narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Hilarious," he mumbled distractedly, wondering if perhaps La Huerta had begun to games already. He bit his lip, tapping his shoe against the side of the seat nervously as he glanced down the aisle toward the cockpit.

"Taylor?" Diego called tentatively, frowning at his friends obvious distraction.

"I'm going to go ask the pilot if anything's up." Taylor said abruptly, rising to his feet and immediately heading down the aisle.

"Uh, okay…" Diego half rose from his chair, watching him awkwardly. "Well, the tour guide, Lila? She said his name was Jake, I think… and hey, Taylor," he called, as Taylor cast him a half attentive glance over his shoulder. "Be _friendly_! No fighting with the pilot, okay?!"

Taylor rolled his eyes, half lifting his hand and drew a smile in the air with his fingers and then turned to continue down the aisle. He inched his way to the cockpit, his expression twisting into a grimace as he dodged around the other 'winners' and silently examined them, mentally returning to his previous threat assessments.

"Excuse _me_ , but would you all _kindly desist_ your prattling?!" Demanded an albino man with shocking white hair, and piercing blue eyes. "I'm _attempting_ to listen to the tour guide and your incessant _babbling_ is preventing her from being able to speak!"

Taylor raised his brow, flicking his eyes over the pale man thoughtfully. _Fan of big words,_ he thought to himself, about to dismiss the albino entirely, before a nibbling suspicion made him assign him with an even five. _Never know where the smarty, smarty book types really sit until violence is already all around you._ He reminded himself gruffly, nodding to himself.

"Thank you, Aleister!" Replied a bubbly woman wearing entirely too much yellow, in Taylor's personal opinion. "As your tour guide for the week, I just wanted to say that we should all try to, you know… be friends!" She said cheerfully, a bright smile on her face which Taylor did not trust in the slightest. "After all, it is an island, so… you're all kind of stuck with one another! _Hee hee_!" She giggled, as Taylor grimaced at the reminder.

 _Tour guide Lila, you are no mere tour guide…_ he thought, narrowing his eyes at her. _Definitely a seven, perhaps an eight. Anyone who can pretend to be that friendly is dangerous._ He decided, casting her a final distrustful look, before turning toward the cockpit.

"Urgh, is it too late to jump off the damn plane?" Another voice complained sourly, drawing Taylor's attention to a woman who was hunched low in her seat, a dark maroon mohawk hiding half of her face, while she scowled darkly toward Lila. 

Taylor raised a brow, thoughtfully eyeing the many piercings in her visible ear and eyebrow as they glittered beneath an overhead light when the woman shook her head. _Zahra Namazi?_ He thought, unusually curious about the expert hacker which even _he_ couldn't avoid having heard of around the campus. _What a strange choice of winner… last I heard they were still looking for proof she was the infamous Lich Queen, so they could expel her_ . He recalled, frowning thoughtfully. _Why reward someone they wish to punish?_

Taylor spent several long seconds considering the question, watching her grab a laptop from her bag and begin typing quickly, darting a final dark look toward the too perky tour guide, as she slid a pair of headphones over her ears. _Hmm, she's an excellent hacker, bo doubt about it… but would she be dangerous outside of a computer?_ He wondered, narrowing his eyes briefly. _Hmm… six. Analysis incomplete, but, it'll do for now._

Taylor huffed a short, irritated sigh and turned toward the cockpit again, stepping through the door with a sullen grimace and looking around curiously. "Uh," he began, about to demand answers, before remembering Diego's insistent plea that he be _friendly_ . With a roll of his eyes, Taylor cleared his throat, stepping forward slowly as he caught sight of a pair of combat boots, kicked up on the dashboard. " _Excuse me_ ," he drawled sarcastically, snorting as he imagined Diego's sigh of exasperation. "It's Jake, isn't it?" He asked, remembering the name from Diego's behaviour speech.

He took another step, his eyes travelling over the boots and up a denim covered leg, up a black t-shirt covered torso to a pair of dog tags which glittered prettily and instantly drew Taylor's curiosity. "Weren't we supposed to have landed by now..?" He asked distractedly, reaching toward the tags unthinkingly and humming at the pleasant scent of his favourite whiskey, emanating from somewhere around the pilot.

He flinched when a sleeve of a puffy, khaki jacket twitches slightly, his eyes rising guiltily to a face which he expected to be frowning at him; but was in actual fact, peacefully asleep. "Oh my…" Taylor gasped, reeling back to the cockpit door and catching his arm on the frame, wincing and hissing quietly as he slapped his hand to the injured area and stared in disbelief at a face which he'd spent _hours_ agonizing over.

He knew, when the pilot opened his eyes, they would be the most startlingly clear, cerulean blue he'd ever seen. _This can't be..! How-?!_ He shook his head, swallowing quickly and tearing his wide, terrified gaze away from the man, staring instead through the windscreen at the clear sky ahead of them. _I've never met him before… have I?_ He thought quickly, shaking his head urgently as he tried to clear away the shock which overwhelmed him. _Maybe, just passed by and I noticed or somethi-_ he sucked in a sharp breath suddenly, his eyes flitting from the open sky outside to the man in the pilots chair. "Shit a brick, are you fucking _asleep_?!" He demanded, panic ripping through him like a bullet from a gun.

" _Hrn_?" The pilot grunted sleepily as Taylor glanced around him quickly, his fingers clawing at the doorframe behind his back as his heart thundered fearfully on his chest, his eyes flicking reluctantly to the glittering water below them and then the island which had been slowly growing before them. "Listen, Boy Scout," Jake drawled, yawning softly as Taylor darted his gaze back to the other mans to meet his calm, cerulean eyes. "Don'tcha know 's rude to wake someone who's takin' a well earned nap?"

"Well earned?" Taylor scoffed, narrowing his eyes at the pilot when he grinned and raised a brow at him. "What the hell have you done to _earn_ a nap, exactly? Take off wasn't _that_ exerting for you, was it?"

Jake huffed a quiet laugh, cocking his head at Taylor curiously. "Well, ain't _you_ stretched tighter than a bungee cord?" He sniggered, as Taylor flushed with outrage. "Twitchy flyer, Boy Scout?" He asked with a knowing smirk.

Taylor fought the grimace which wished to twist his lips, his eyes darting to the glittering water again. Jake caught the movement and was about to glance out the windscreen himself, when Taylor blurted the first thing he could think of to stop him. "What's with the Boy Scout thing?" He demanded, eyeing Jake warily as he tried to recover his usual sense of confidence and disinterest, trying to listen to the latest song which had begun playing to distract himself.

"What can I say?" Jake said, tossing Taylor a negligent wink and smiling radiant as he spread his palms. "I give nicknames to folk what annoy me." He said simply, running his gaze over Taylor in obvious amusement.

"Huh, guess I should call you _Bratman_ then," Taylor sneered waspishly, smirking when Jake's brows rose on his forehead and he blinked in surprise. 

"What?" Jake coughed, his eyes widening to match Taylor's most recent drawing as he flinched and shivered at the expression. "Ya can't be goin' round, givin' folk nicknames… that's _my_ thing!" Jake protested.

"Uh huh, pretty sure you're not the inventor of nicknames, bud." Taylor scoffed, glancing out the windscreen nervously, unsure what to make of the pilot when he was so hard to get a read on.

"But," Jake shook his head, his sandy hair brushing his ears as Taylor glanced at him, before quickly darting his eyes away again, an unfamiliar warmth in his cheeks. "But ya-"

"Look, no offence, Top Gun, but how about you just _fly the damn plane_?" Taylor bit out, his breath quickening as he glanced outside again.

" _Top Gun_?!" Jake scoffed, smirking as Taylor glowered at him. "Hmm, least that one makes more sense… I was always more of a Marvel man, anyway." He added with a grumble, eyeing Taykor thoughtfully, before flicking his hair aside and shaking his head derisively. "Nah… ya ain't smart enough to keep 'em comin' anyhow," he said dismissively.

"I dunno," Taylor countered quickly. "If you don't start actually _flying the plane_ I might just decide I like it," he said waspishly, narrowing his eyes as Jake gave a small snort of laughter. "I might be tempted to _keep doing it_."

" _Pfft_ ," Jake scoffed, shaking his head. "Takes work to be so good as _me_ ," he said smugly, as Taylor rolled his eyes in exasperation, confused by his extended conversation and banter with the pilot. "Anyway, chill ya twitchy tail kid," Jake said, turning away to look at his equipment and thus missing Taylor's scowl of indignation. "We ain't even landin' 'til… the _hell_ ?!" His feet disappeared from the dashboard suddenly, his brows furrowing in angry disbelief. " _That_ time ain't right… an' _that_ ain't right, either!" He grumbled, narrowing his eyes and whacking the various instruments on his panel a few times.

Taylor blinked, his indignation forgotten as panic began to claw at his gut again. "Are you _sure_ you know what the hell you're doing?" He all but pleaded, glancing nervously at the innocently sparkling water below the plane.

Jake grit his teeth and exhaled a deep huff of frustration through them, turning his scowl from his instruments toward Taylor and attempting to offer him a tight, unconvincing smile. "Listen, Boy Scout…" he drawled, clicking his tongue as he cocked his jaw briefly. "If you knew even _half_ the shit I survived," he said, his smirk growing more natural as he threw Taylor a cocky wink. "Ya'd count on me to-"

Turbulence abruptly hammered the plane from nowhere, jerking Jake forward from his pilot chair as Taylor planted himself firmly in the doorway. Without thinking, he reached forward and gripped Jake's shoulder, preventing him from face planting into the console and keeping him mostly in his seat. "Huh?" Jake blinked, looking up at Taylor in surprise, as he yanked his hand back in similar disbelief. " _Damn_ … talk 'bout friggin' _lightnin' reflexes-_ "

Taylor grimaced as Jake grunted, another hard strike of turbulence causing him to forget Taylor's 'lightning reflexes' and refocus his attention on his plane. He raised his eyes to the sky, his expression darkening as quickly as the black clouds which rolled in to smother them. _And so La Huerta rolls out the red carpet for us_ … he thought sourly, shaking his head in disgust.

He flicked his gaze over to Jake, reluctantly impressed by the pilots quick and nimble fingers as he turned dials, flicked switches _and_ kept an eye on the brewing storm outside with apparent ease. "Aw, jus' great…" Jake muttered, his lip curling into a sneer. "Storm fronts comin' in _real_ quick," he muttered, grabbing the yoke and leaning forward intently.

He glanced over at Taylor, snorting quietly and throwing him a cocky smirk despite the battering storm around them. "Find yaself a seat, Boy Scout… 's gonna get real bumpy for awhile," he said, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth and returning his attention to the windscreen. "Tell 'em all to buckle up tight now, ya get me?"

Taylor hesitated, torm between his desire to find Diego and make sure he was alright; and an inexplicable urge to remain in the cockpit to try and help somehow, which was ridiculous, given his inexperience. 

Jake glanced back and noticed him still dithering uncertainly in the doorway. " _Now_ , Boy Scout!" He roared, his face a mask of concentration as he glared into the darkness of the encroaching storm.

Taylor flinched at Jake's fury, snapping out of his indecision and fleeing from the cockpit quickly. "Everyone buckle up, now!" He ordered roughly, not bothering to check if anyone did as they were told, his eyes locked intently on the seats where Diego's face peered at him from.

"Taylor?" He called worriedly. "What's going on?" He asked, his eyes clouded by concern for his friend as the plane was jostled violently by yet more turbulence.

"Just sit down and buckle up, Diego!" Taylor barked back, pausing along his path back to his seat as chaos erupted around him.

" _Ohhh duuuudes, I am_ **_really_ ** _regretting that airport chipotle!_ " Raj cried, waving his arms dangerously across the aisle, forcing Taylor to duck back a step to avoid a saucepan sized hand to the face.

" _Don't puke, bro!_ " Craig pleaded, his own large dustbin hands waving dramatically in front of Raj. " _If_ **_you_ ** _puke,_ **_I'm_ ** _gonna puke!_ " He warned, as if this alone should be enough to stop his friend.

Taylor scowled as they blocked his path, glancing at the nearby seats and debating whether to just jump over them, though he doubted the pilot would be too pleased with him if he did.

"Where the _hell_ did this storm come from?!" Demanded a new, highly irate voice. Taylor turned in surprise, having realised that he had entirely overlooked someone in his haste to reach the cockpit. He scanned the various, terrified faces, until he noticed a petite blonde with _far_ heavier make up than she needed for her already pretty face. He cocked his head thoughtfully, steadying himself by gripping the back of an empty seat as he watched her fasten her seatbelt tightly over her lap and peer out the window. "It was a clear day!"

"It happens, okay?!" Jake yelled from the cockpit, snarling quietly as he fought with the plane, trying to stabilise it in the turbulent air. "This is totally… _normal_ !" He insisted gruffly, though his carefully stifled cursing afterward did _not_ back up his statement.

"Yeah, sure," Zahra bit out, her eyes wide and her headphones around her neck as she stared out the window in disbelief. " _That_ looks normal!"

Taylor frowned, chancing a glance out the window to see what had the supposedly unflappable hacker so thrown, his heart rising in his throat as terror pierced through him like a blow from a pick axe, watching in mounting dread as thick balls of _orange_ electricity coalesced outside of the wretched, dark sky. He flinched, a scowl forming on his paling face as the balls began to explode with a loud crackle and a shower of sparks.

"Oh my… it-it looks like ball lightning!" Gasped another new voice, drawing Taylor's attention to a small woman with mocha skin and pretty dark curls framing her face. He raised a brow, trying to decide if she were terrified or fascinated by the strange phenomena; and allowing her a threat assessment of four, due to the various books on flora, fauna and quantum mathematics volume three, sitting on her lap and the empty chair beside her. "I've never seen anything quite like _this_ before though!"

"This is all wrong!" Aleister yelled over the girl's quiet fascination slash terror, his piercing eyes wide and panicked as he ran his hands through his hair frantically when Taylor glanced over at him. "I can't die here! Surrounded by these _morons_!"

"Everyone, just breathe!" Sean called from the back of the plane in a deep, soothing tone, attempting to calm his friends and other 'winners' of the _magical_ getaway. "We're gonna get through this, okay?!"

Taylor sneered in Sean's general direction, but avoided being too obvious so he wouldn't draw any further scolding from Diego. He was just about to give up waiting for Raj and Craig to cram themselves into their seats and allow him to pass, when he heard a soft, terrified chanting behind him.

"Oh god… oh god… _oh god!_ " Quinn gasped, her tiny looking chest seeming to rise and fall rapidly with shallow breaths as she tried and failed to catch her breath, clutching desperately at the seat before her.

Taylor hissed, glancing up at the plane roof at the connecting strike of a blistering crack of thunder, which entirely drowned out his music. He whirled upon hearing Jake curse loudly, alarmed by the flash of sparks flying within the cockpit. 

"Welp, engines just lost power!" Jake called with a surprising snort of laughter, appearing strangely in control and reassuring despite the situation. "Bringin' her down manually!" He warned, as the plane nose dipped abruptly downward, tilting Taylor back toward the cockpit. "Everybody, hang on to ya butts!"

Taylor gripped the headrest of the seat tighter, staring out the windscreen at the dark clouds which obscured even the smallest glimpse of the previous clear blue which had been all around them. He glanced around as the cacophony of noise around him grew louder, the other 'winners' all clamouring over each other with various shouts and cries of alarm.

All, except for one.

Taylor noticed her sitting alone in the back row of the plane, a stoic, calm face amid the chaos of the other passengers. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously, examining her as she stared out the window silently. She wore a blue hoodie and dark trousers, her legs crossed and her hands folded calmly in her lap. Her hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail, revealing a long scar across her eye, completely unfazed by the rampaging storm outside.

"Taylor!" He snapped his head toward the tour guide, his lip curling into a sneer as she momentarily drowned out the other students. "Safety first! Please find a seat and buckle yourself in, quickly!" She said, unaware of Taylor's replying sneer as she turned to the other 'winners'. "Everyone, please… try to remain calm!"

Taylor rolled his eyes, his grip tightening on the headrest he held as he prepared to climb over the empty seats and return to Diego, when he noticed Quinn's chanting waver and a soft sob escape her. He paused, struggling with the unexpected urge to give comfort to the redhead, before he found himself already moving to the empty seat beside her. "Just, uh… breathe, yeah?" He said awkwardly, wincing when Quinn startled and gazed up at him with wide terrified eyes.

Quinn gasped, squeezing her eyes closed and gripping the headrest tighter, her fingers clutching hard enough to turn her knuckles white as she whimpered with fear. " _Ah!_ " She cried, worrying her lip between her teeth and beginning to shiver recklessly despite the warm, tropical climate still suffusing the plane. "This can't happen… not yet!" She whispered, though Taylor suspected he wouldn't hear her.

He half reached for her hand, hesitating and flinching away again before her eyes could open and stare at the headrest fearfully, a million awful images clearly playing out before her eyes. "Uh… h-hey, I know..!" He stammered suddenly, his lips quirking into an uncertain smile as he felt unusually drawn to help the terrified woman. "How about I tell you the best joke ever known to man?" He offered, as Quinn turned and blinked up at him in surprise.

"I hardly think _this_ is quite the time for asinine _jokes_!" Aleister yelled over the crash of the lightning outside and the chaotic cries of his classmates within.

"Hey, seems like the goddamn _perfect_ time to me, _asshole_ !" Taylor snarled in reply, scowling across the aisle at Aleister. " _Not_ that I was talking to you, Saltman!"

Quinn gasped beside Taylor, preventing him from exchanging any further unpleasantries with Aleister. His hard scowl softened to a sympathetic, awkward smile as he lowered his voice carefully. "Are you ready for this? Okay, so... why can't watermelons get married?" He asked, trying to make himself sound friendly and jovial and not quite sure if he succeeded.

"Huh?" If Quinn noticed his awkwardness, she did not comment on it, blinking at him as she blushed faintly and shook her head. "I… I have no idea!" She finally admitted, her shivering subsiding and her breaths regulating normally again, as she focused on Taylor and what he knew was in fact, a truly _awful_ joke.

Taylor grinned lopsidedly, spreading his palms and even surprising himself further my dropping her a playful wink. "Because they _cantaloupe._ " He drawled, sniggering to himself as she blinked at him slowly.

Quinn crystal blue eyes seemed to cut straight through him, the outright terror in them fading slowly, replaced by rising affection. "I… _pfft_ ," she snorted delicately. "That's the _worst_ joke I _ever_ heard!" She giggled, her shoulders relaxing slightly as she smiled at him sweetly.

Taylor nodded awkwardly, clearing his throat as he glanced around uncertainly. "Uh… well," he coughed, looking down the aisle longingly. "You'll be okay now and I, uh… I need to go check on my friend…" he said, slipping out of his seat quickly.

"Oh, wait!" Quinn pleaded, reaching for his hand and blinking in surprise when he hissed and yanked his hands away from the chair which he'd briefly occupied, a dark scowl on his face as he glared at her hand. "Um, I-I'm sorry! I just, I wanted to say that, I'm Quinn and… and to ask you _your_ name… to thank you-"

"You don't have any reason to thank me," Taylor said dismissively, turning away already as Quinn winced and lowered her eyes and hand to her lap. "But," he sighed, running his fingers through his hair in frustration, as guilt for her sudden downcast expression prodded at him. "My name is Taylor." He grumbled sulkily, glancing at her long enough to see her face brighten again and then hurrying down the aisle to his seat before anything else could distract him.

"Diego!" He gasped, swinging himself back into his seat and running his eyes over his friend quickly. "Are you-?"

"I saw that." Diego said smugly, flashing a shit eating grin at Taylor as he reeled back in surprise, ignoring the storm outside for the time being.

"Saw what?" Taylor demanded, frowning as he caught a flash of red from the shirt of his collar and noticed that the low battery light on his music player had just come on.

"You were being _nice_ to Quinn," Diego cooed in a sing song voice, impervious to the warning scowl which Taylor cast his way. "You were _helping_ her!" He gushed excitedly, practically bouncing in his seat as Taylor rolled his eyes.

"Was not." He denied flatly, rummaging in his pocket and pulling out a new music player, switching it on and pressing play before switching the headphones over and clipping it in the same place as the other one had been. "I didn't do a damn thing…"

"Oh for gods sake, Taylor… you don't have to be _embarrassed_ just because you were _nice_ to someone," Diego heaved an exasperated sigh, rolling his eyes so hard that Taylor briefly worried they might fall out right there. "Well, someone other than me anyw-"

"Dude, seriously, I don't know what you're talking about." Taylor said flippantly, ignoring Diego's knowing snort as he turned his music player up and stashed the other one in his pocket. "I just went to talk to the pilot and came straight back here."

Diego sighed, clearly understanding that Taylor was _not_ about to admit to anything but his own version of events. "Okay, Wonderboy… so, what's the pilot like anyway? Good, I hope, so we don't, ya know… crash and burn?" He asked, thrown forward in his seat by another gust of turbulence.

"Just a little farther…" Jake grunted, just as the lightning reached a fever pitch and seemed to close in around the plane. "I think we're almost… _ha!_ Yeah, _that's_ what I'm talkin' 'bout!" He chuckled dryly, as the plane burst out of the storm clouds into perfect blue skies once again.

" _Wooooohooooo_ !" Raj cheered loudly, exchanging a double high five with Craig as Taylor leaned back in his chair and allowed his eyes to slip closed in relief. " _We're alive!_ " He cried, while the other competition winners all whooped and cheered in agreement of that very development.

"Oh, wow!" Quinn gasped, as Taylor tapped his hand lightly to his knee, listening to the soothing thrum of his music. "Taylor, _look_!" She called pleadingly.

Taylor reluctantly peeled his eyes open, glancing over at the redhead to see her gazing out her window in excitement again. He turned his head, peeking through Diego's window briefly, before grimacing and sitting back in his chair again. 

"Get a good look now, Kiddos, 'cause we're comin' in fast!" Jake called through from the cockpit, sounding unexpectedly cheerful after such a terrifying ordeal. "Welcome, to La Huerta!"

Taylor huffed and pointedly closed his eyes, refusing to set his sights upon the island again before he absolutely _had_ to. He heard Diego gasp and knew that his friends eyes were glued to the tropical island, swiftly growing larger as they flew toward the death trap. He scowled to himself, snapping his eyes open and glaring as he clenched his teeth, having begun to imagine the enormous volcano which towered above the rainforest, loomingat the centre of the island like a glowing beacon of death and torment.

In his personal opinion.

"La Huerta Tower, this is tail number XC-DMK, requesting emergency priority to land." Taylor rolled his head toward the cockpit, listening to Jake as he confidently called through to the landing strip tower. He frowned at the empty static which crackled on Jake's speaker in reply, narrowing his eyes and darting a reluctant glance out the window; though his view was mercifully blocked by the back of Diego's head. 

" _Carlos_ !" Jake barked roughly, his frustration clear as he guided the _engineless_ plane in for landing. "Pick up, ya no good, lazy bastard! It's Jake!" He demanded, his fury palpable as his request was again, answered only with static and silence.

"Ya know, ignorin' me _ain't_ gonna make me forget 'bout the hundred bucks ya owe me!" Jake tried again, trying to trick the mysterious Carlos into replying at last. When he was greeted with nothing but the familiar, static silence once again, Jake snarled with near feral fury. "Like it or not, ya cheatin' asshole, we're comin' in!"

Taylor snorted as Jake continued to mutter darkly to himself, rolling his head on the back of his seat and sighing as he reluctantly glanced at the window again, no longer obscured by Diego's head; and watched the plane slowly descend toward a small runway on the edge of the island, the knot of distrust and resignation tightening in his gut with every second.

There were multiple cheers of relief when the plane finally bumped against the ground, rolling easily along the dirt airstrip and gently pulling into the hangar. 

Taylor remained silent, glaring balefully at anyone who passed too close to his seat in their rush to exit the plane, all cramming into the aisle to follow Jake and jump out the second he threw the door open. When at last the jostling, screeching crowd had gone, Taylor rose from his chair, stepping back to let Diego hurry out ahead of him; though he was undecided whether he should go out first to protect him from whatever might be waiting for them outside.

With a last, mournful look around the plane, Taylor sighed and reluctantly shuffled his way towards the door, glancing at Jake as he waited opposite the hatch and raised a brow at his apparent reluctance to leave. He bristled at the pilots curious, sharp look, sensing that the man could see far more than Taylor strictly wanted him to. "Rough landing there, Top Gun." He said snidely, distracting Jake from his examination of him as he blinked in surprise. "Hope you don't work for tips," he snarked, hesitating briefly, before sighing and finally making his way down the small flight of steps outside.

"Ya kiddin' me?" Jake scoffed, laughing in disbelief as Taylor glanced back at him with a disinterested gaze. "I'm a goddamn _hero_ for even gettin' ya on the ground!"

Taylor lifted a shoulder dismissively, turning away and ignoring the pilot as he chuckled quietly at his behaviour. "Carlos!" He heard Jake bellow a moment later, moving away as his amusement at Taylor was replaced by concern for his plane. "I need a tune up, ya bastard… _Carlos_ !" Taylor glanced after him, his brow furrowing briefly as he tried to remember again where he _must_ have seen the man before.

Finally he heaved an annoyed sigh, shaking his head as he turned away and shuffled over to the back of the plane, waiting for the others to all find their bags, before even attempting to grab his own.

"This island is supposed to be one of the most beautiful places on earth!" Quinn sighed happily, gazing around her in awe as she wandered away a few steps, dragging a small suitcase behind her. "The beaches… oh! And the _waterfalls.._!"

Taylor snorted to himself, rolling his eyes discreetly. _The Klaawyi and the leeches…_ _not to mention the_ \- he thought, shaking his head as he cut the idle thought off, his lips twitched with amusement briefly, imagining the groups various reactions to the carnivorous creatures.

"It's also home to a plethora of rare flora and fauna!" Enthused the woman who had been so terrified and fascinated by the strange lightning during the storm, scooting her glasses higher up her nose with the tips of her fingers and looking around the airstrip eagerly.

"Only ten spots on this trip, and they had to give one to _this_ dork…" Craig muttered, glowering at the curious woman and shaking his head, clearly disgusted by her enthusiasm for something that was _educational_.

Taylor tapped his foot irritably against the dirt floor, narrowing his eyes as he flit his eyes between the chattering students and finally lunged for his bag, his patience all but extinguished by their apparent lack of consideration to _move out of the goddamn way_. Just as his hand brushed the corner of his suitcase, another hand grabbed the handle; and Taylor hissed as he retracted his hand to his chest as if he'd been burnt, rubbing it against his t-shirt quickly.

"Oh, uh… sorry!" Sean said awkwardly, his eyes widening as he realised he'd grabbed the wrong luggage and glancing at Taylor's rubbing hand quickly.

"Oh no, by all means," Taylor snarled irritably. "You wanna carry my bag, _Musclehead,_ you go right on ahead. Not like I've been waiting to get the stupid thing while everyone stands in the fucking way or anything." He groused, jerking away from Sean with an uncertain glare when he extended a hand toward him apologetically. 

"Hey, man, I'm sorry," Sean said, pulling his hand back to his own chest and setting Taylor's bag down before him and gesturing towards it. "I must have mistaken it for mine… we have the same colour, see? But yours is _way_ lighter than mine and… uh, rattles more?" He said uncertainly, eyeing Taylor's bag dubiously as Taylor flushed and glanced away in embarrassment.

"Oh my _god_ ," interrupted an irate voice. Taylor turned to discover the pretty blonde with the make up fetish was glaring at him. "Could you _be_ anymore desperate?" She sneered, tossing a coil of perfect blonde hair over her shoulder.

"Huh?" Taylor blinked, totally confused as the blonde sidled up to Sean and draped her arm around him possessively. He raised a brow, glancing at Sean's confused expression as he too, seemed taken aback by the blonde behaviour.

"People like _you_ always hover around the spotlight…" she scoffed, running her eyes over Taylor condescendingly. "You're like _moths_."

"Uh, spotlight?" Taylor blinked again, shaking his head as he tried to catch up with whatever it was he had missed. His brows rose as he sighed, glancing around the airstrip to try and find Diego as he tried to listen to the song which he had mostly missed due to the confusing argument.

The blonde rolled her eyes at him disdainfully. "Yeah, right." She scoffed. "As if you _don't_ know who Sean is." 

Taylor shrugged with disinterest, still trying to pick out Diego's face, somewhere among the other students. " _Seriously_ ?!" He turned at the sound of Craig's disbeliving cry, his brows raised in surprise at the vehemence of the other mans outrage. "Our superstar quarterback?" He demanded, taking personal offence at Taylor's dismissive hum. " _The Heisman frontrunner_?!"

Taylor blinked impassively, his eyes flicking between the haughty blonde and the dumb jock with a bored look on his face.

"Guys, it's cool… chill out-" Sean said uncomfortably, shifting his weight between his feet and attempting to diffuse the situation by stepping between his friends and Taylor.

"Look," the blonde sniffed, fixing Taylor with a pointed look. "Sean doesn't need any fame and glory hounds, hanging around him, okay?" She said in a falsely sweet voice.

Taylor abruptly broke out laughing, his confusion about the blonde finally clearing as she glared at him distrustfully. "Oh, lady… you have the _wrong_ idea here," he snorted, shaking his head in amusement as all three of them blinked at him in surprise. "I have _zero_ interest in your muscle riddled boyfriend, Gorgeous, so you go ahead and point those sharp little claws of yours somewhere else, 'kay?" He snickered, spreading his palms innocently.

The blonde blinked at him, taken aback by his blasè reaction to her accusations. "I… you-" she spluttered and shook her head, blinking her wide eyes until they cleared of shock, painting a bright smile across her lips. "Well, yeah… thanks!" She said, as Taylor snickered quietly at the whiplash inducing swing of her attitude. "You're smarter than you look!"

Taylor huffed a deep snort of amusement at the complete fantasies and delusions which people seemed to construct around themselves, shaking his head as he finally reached toward the handle of his bag on the floor.

"We're in _reality_ , Michelle, remember?" Taylor glanced up at Sean's angry tone, glancing toward the blonde as he finally put a name to the heavily made up face. "And _in_ reality, we are _not_ together anymore!" He snapped, his scowling at the blonde furiously. 

"But, Sean-" Michelle pleaded, softensing her tone as she gazed at Sean with a longing that was impossible even for _Taylor_ to misinterpret.

"Seriously, Michelle, can you just chill?!" Sean sighed, raising his arms and stepping back to avoid the embrace which Michelle tried to afford him. "And I don't mean Netflix and chill. I mean _actual chill_ ." He snapped, looking at the blonde sharply. " _Please_." He demanded tightly, sighing and running his hand over his short cropped hair, his eyes softening as he turned to Taylor. "I'm sorry man, I'm not-"

Taylor stepped back, raising his hands and dangling his suitcase from his fingers as he backed away. "Whatever this is, it definitely does _not_ involve me," he said lightly, a grin tugging at his lips as Sean tried to protest. "I cannot emphasize enough how much I _do not care_ , Muscles. Sorry… _not_ sorry."

Taylor smirked as he backed away, ignoring Sean's call of his name and turning around, only to pause and grin broadly when he found himself face to face with a scowling Diego. "Hey buddy, I was looking for you…" he said, ignoring Diego's unimpressed glare. "Ready to head up to the hotel?" He asked innocently.

"Taylor," Diego sighed, lifting his hands to massage his temples roughly. "You do remember the talk we had, right? About being _nice_ to people-"

"I was nice." Taylor interrupted, shrugging his shoulder and jerking his thumb over his shoulder, to where Sean and Michelle were still bickering. "See? They're fine, happy as any couple ever are." He said dismissively.

Diego frowned, leaning up on his tiptoes and peeking over Taylor's shoulder with a light pink blush dusting his cheeks. "Couple?" He repeated shyly, biting his lip as he quickly ducked back down to hide behind Taylor again. "O-oh… they're uh, they're… together?"

Taylor hesitated, debating whether to confess to Sean's dismissal of any kind of relationship between the two. "Uh," he coughed, lifting his shoulder negligently. "Who knows..? Football stars always have _someone_ on their arm right?"

Diego hummed, his face falling slightly. "I… I guess." He said, peeking at Michelle again discreetly. "And she is _beautiful,_ so… I mean, I can totally see it."

"Hmm," Taylor hummed, fidgeting guiltily. "Guess you'll be needing a new crush then, huh?" He said lightly, rocking on the balls of his feet and grinning at Diego when he blushed and looked away. He rolled his eyes, sighing as he decided to give Sean a _chance_ to be worthy of his friend. "I mean… you never know though, they don't exactly look like they're gonna be trading goo goo eyes anytime soon. Maybe you'll get lucky afterall, huh?" He reluctantly suggested.

Diego glanced up at Taylor, biting his lip as he leaned around him to glance at Sean again, who appeared to be locked into a vicious whispering feud with the blonde, before he stormed away and left her pouting after him. His face lit with a grin and Taylor stifled an annoyed sigh, and resigned himself to the inevitable future when Diego would have _someone_ significant in his life.

He still _hoped_ it wouldn't be Muscle-zilla, though.

"C'mon, dude," he huffed, his mood plummeting as he tipped his head toward the tour guide, who was attempting to gather the group together. "Let's get this stupid week over with."

"Taylor, do you think you can bring yourself enjoy _one_ little part of this week?" Diego sighed, grabbing his bag handle and turning around.

"I will," Taylor said confidently, smirking when Diego looked at him in surprise. "It's called the flight home." He said, winking playfully as Diego snorted in spite of his exasperation.

"Honestly, Taylor, sometimes I-" he paused, glancing down when his foot struck something which made a distinctly fragile sounding _clink_ . "What the..?" He asked, bending down to pick it up and not noticing the blood rapidly racing from Taylor's cheeks as he picked up a small dart, his fingers toying with the soft tuft of red fluff curiously. "Is that a... _tranquilizer dart_?" He yelped, almost dropping it again, before Taylor quickly snagged it from his fingers.

"Sure looks like it," he muttered, narrowing his eyes at the dart and examining it intently. "It's a pretty big dose…" he said, turning the object carefully between his fingers. "Whatever they were aiming for must have been huge." He said distractedly, raising his head and looking around the airstrip suspiciously. 

"The vials nearly empty," Diego pointed out, offering him a reassuring grin. "It must have hit its target, so there's no need for you to start doing the protective thing. I bet they probably took this… whatever it was down with _this_ and then, I don't know, took it away somewhere." He said, gesturing to the dart in Taylor's hand.

Taylor flicked his eyes to Diego, a frown creasing his forehead. "You mean, _if_ they took it down." He said, shaking his head and sighing as he lowered his eyes to the dart again, about to curl his fingers around it tightly when Diego snagged it from his grasp. "Hey-!"

"Okay, _this_ ," Diego said tetchily, wiggling the dart in front of Taylor's eyes tauntingly. "Is going away now." He said, shoving it into a side pocket of his bag. "We only just _landed_ , Taylor, will you _please_ just-"

Taylor tuned Diego out, tensing as he felt someones gaze burning on his skin. He glanced to the side with a scowl, ignoring Diego's sigh of resignation as he realised Taylor hadn't been listening to him. Immediately, he locked eyes on the silent woman in the blue hoodie, certain she had been listening in on their conversation. "Diego," he said quietly, tilting his head in the woman's direction discreetly. "Do you know her?" He asked tightly, uneasy that anybody would be paying such close attention to them.

Diego peered around Taylor obviously, making no attempt to hide his intentions as he looked the woman over curiously, before looking back at Taylor with a raised brow. " _Nooope_." He said with a lopsided shrug, eyeing Taylor with a slow building grin as he watched the woman discreetly from the corner of his eye. "Dude… have you got eyes for the mysterious hottie?!" He teased, laughing as Taylor reeled back at the innocent question in obvious disgust.

" _What_ ?! No!" He demanded, grimacing and shaking his head in frustration. Only Diego could think to ask something so ridiculous. "Diego, there's something _off_ about her," he insisted firmly, looking around the clustering 'winners' distrustfully. "There's something off about this _whole thing_!"

Diego sighed, rolling his eyes expectantly. "And what gives you _that_ idea, exactly?" He asked, looking at Taylor with a knowing, somewhat resigned smile.

"Urgh, I don't know!" Taylor growled, stomping his foot irritably as Diego fought to hide a grin. "It's that…" he paused, exhaling a sharp breath and glaring at the other students, before blinking as a sudden epiphany hit him. "It's that there are too many of us!" He said quickly, his eyes darting between the various faces as he counted in his head.

Diego snorted disbelievingly. "Too many?" He repeated, raising a brow at Taylor and eyeing him dubiously. 

"Yes!" Taylor insisted vehemently, scowling when he caught Diego's unconvinced look. "Will you just _think_ about it for a second? What were you actually told about this trip? _Ten_ students from your college won, right?" He said, recalling Diego's earlier math on the plane and Craig's brief mutterings about the quiet nature enthusiast having won a place.

"Yeah, ten students, randomly selected to win one week on a magical island-" Diego began to rattle off the details, but was silenced when Taylor quickly waved his hands dismissively.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, I know… my point _is_ ," he said quickly, pausing to glance over at the woman in the hoodie again. "Not including the pilot or the tour guide… she makes _eleven_." He whispered, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

"You are right," Diego reluctantly admitted, though he took a long pause to count for himself. "But, I mean… you said yourself, you're not _technically_ a student," he reminded him.

Taylor shook his head quickly. "No, but your letter said you _and your room mate_ ." He said pointedly, glaring at Diego as fear nipped at his nerves. "I _told_ you that was suspicious anyway… there's no way for anyone to know you even _have_ a room mate, not officially. There's no-"

"Taylor, _please_ , no conspiracy theories…" Diego groaned, rolling his eyes in weary exasperation. He looked at Taylor, whose gaze was so earnestly distraught that he finally relented with a sigh. "Look, I don't think I recognise her at all… so, maybe she's just some sort of, stow-away or something..?"

"Why would anyone want to stow-away on a plane destined to _this_ hell hole of an island?" Taylor muttered dismissively, shaking his head in rejection of the idea.

"I dunno… maybe because unlike _you_ they actually _like_ going to a beautiful island paradise?" Diego snorted dryly, rolling his eyes as Taylor blatantly ignored him.

"No, it's got to be…" Taylor grimaced, glancing over at the woman again and her eyes flicked to meet his gaze. Taylor panicked, feeling unwelcomely caged by the woman's gaze, unable to look away no matter how hard he tried. He could feel tendrils of hysteria, crawling up the back of his throat like bile as his hands balled into fists, his fingernails biting into his palms as the woman's deep eyes seemed to pull him in.

" _Hey, Lila_ !" Jake's furious roar startled Taylor, the woman with the scar finally glancing away and freeing Taylor's captive gaze at last. He hissed with relief, immediately looking away and shifting his weight restlessly, uneasy after the unwanted exchange. "Where the _hell_ are all ya goddamn people?!" Jake fumed, storming over as Taylor shook his head and tried to clear away the lingering fuzziness in his head by reaching for his music player and turning up the volume. "There's _no fucker_ here!" Jake growled furiously.

Quite abruptly, Taylor snapped his head up, instantly alert again as he darted his eyes around the hangar; confirming the pilots claim _and_ what he had already noticed for himself, but had been slow to comprehend with so many distractions. 

Aside from their group, the airstrip was completely void of human life. The thirteen of them were the only people present.

"I told you so… I _told_ you so!" Taylor hissed to Diego, who shot him a warning look, before glancing around uneasily himself.

"This means nothing!" He shot back petulantly, refusing to allow Taylor's pessimism to get to him.

"Hmm, they should be here in a shuttle to take us up to the resort, but…" Lila hummed, looking around the bare airstrip uncertainly, before plastering a large smile to her face again. "I'm sure it's just a slight delay! No need to fret! They'll be here any _second_ now!" She said confidently, beaming around the group reassuringly.

Taylor did _not_ trust the woman's smile. Nobody could be _that_ cheerful, _all the time_. Not unless they were hiding something.

"The hell with that," Jake scoffed, jerking his head toward a tall building set off the side of the airstrip. "I'm goin' up to that control tower an' gettin' some _goddamn_ answers!"

Taylor perked beflre he could help himself, looking along the airstrip curiously. "Control tower?" He asked, eyeing the building as a giddy wave of joy rolled through his gut quickly. He noticed Diego's knowing grin and quickly arranged his face into a disinterested sneer. "What do you think is going on up there, exactly?" He asked dismissively, though from the way he saw Diego's grin grow, he doubted his disinterest was authentic.

"Dunno," Jake admitted, lifting his shoulders and shaking his head. "Call it a gut feelin', but whatever it is, it ain't good." He said, grimacing as he looked over at the tower briefly, before looking over at Taylor again, his clear eyes curious as he ran them over him intently. "So, Boy Scout… ya comin' or not?"

"Huh?" Taylor blinked slowly, pretending not to notice the warmth building in his cheeks as Diego practically _skipped_ with glee beside him. " _Why_ would I do that, exactly?" He asked with deliberate slowness, feigning a look of confusion.

"'Cause the second ya caught sight o' that there tower ya whole damn face lit up like a Christmas tree?" Jake replied glibly, smirking when Taylor sniffed and pointedly looked away.

" _I_ could go with you," Michelle offered with such false innocence that Taylor felt himself bristle with irritation. She fluttered her eyelashes at Jake, twirling a long coil of blonde hair around her finger coyly.

Jake never so much as glanced in her direction. "Weren't talkin' to _you_ , Maybelline." He said indifferently, his eyes never leaving Taylor, who finally glanced back with a small frown.

Before he could comment on the pilots apparent desire for his company, Taylor was distracted by Lila's uncertain hum. "Um, okay, well…" she coughed, glancing between Jake and Taylor before looking around everyone else with her overbearing cheer once again. "I guess, the rest of you… please, follow me?" She said, waving her arm for the rest of the group to see and join her off to one side. "We can all take the short walk up the hill to the resort together. Sounds like fun, huh? _Yay_!"

Lila laughed happily, beaming around the group until she noticed that there was a definitive split through them all, a small group having broken away for their own purposes. "Uh, Quinn?" She called, frowning as the redhead skipped away from her and began to unbutton her blouse. "Where are you going?"

"Hmm? Oh!" Quinn giggled, turning back to the tour guide with a bright smile. "Well, some of us want to explore the beach a little first! We can catch up with you guys at the hotel in a little while..." she said, smiling coyly and winking at Taylor as she neared him, feigning a small pout down at her blouse. "Gosh, darn… this button's stuck! Could you help me with it, Taylor?"

Taylor took a very deliberate step backward. "No." He said bluntly, his brows furrowing darkly as Quinn's face fell, her eyes dulling slightly at his flat refusal.

"Ha, ha _ha_ … ah, Taylor he's uh, he's such a _hoot_ ," Diego laughed awkwardly, stepping up beside him and indiscreetly aiming his elbow at his ribs, a blow which Taylor deftly avoided. "Always such a uh, such a kidder… he's just shy, but, um… here," he offered, half extending his hand before pausing and biting his lip uncertainly.

Quinn puffed out her cheeks, throwing an accusatory glare at Taylor, before stepping closer to Diego and nodding gratefully. "At least _someone_ isn't afraid to help a lady in distress…" she sniffed playfully, glancing slyly at Taylor before tossing her hair over her shoulders and leaning her chest toward Diego. 

Taylor watched in amusement as Diego blushed and Quinn fought off a grin, wondering if she knew her efforts would be entirely wasted on either of them. "Um… th-there you go!" Diego coughed awkwardly, clearing his throat and wiping his hand on his jeans after finally undoing Quinn's last button.

"Ahhh, _finally_!" Quinn sighed happily, twirling around as he blouse slid from her arms and drifted to the ground, leaving her clad in only a pale green bikini. She paused as she passed Taylor again, fding her arms behind her back and smiling at him coyly. "You're coming to the beach with us, right Taylor?" She asked hopefully.

He blinked slowly. "No." He repeated, glancing down at Diego when he stomped on his foot briefly. "What?" He whispered, frowning at Diego's exasperated scowl.

"Can you _please_ try to be a little more sociable?" Diego hissed back, narrowing his eyes when Taylor opened his mouth to argue. "I _don't_ want to hear it! Just… just go climb the tower already. You know you want to."

"I don't." He lied easily, frowning over at Jake as the pilot moved away to lock up the hangar doors. He still couldn't recall where he might have seen the man before and it was bothering him more than he was willing to admit. "I'm tired. We should really just head up to the hotel-"

"Taylor, you slept almost the entire flight, you are _not_ tired." Diego snorted, pointing a finger at him when Taylor made to protest. "And even if you _were_ tired, I'm _not_ ." He added quickly, smirking when Taylor snapped his mouth shut and glowered at him irritably. "How about this? I'm gonna go and explore the beach a little with Quinn and the others, so _you_ might as well go enjoy climbing some rickety old stairs…"

Taylor frowned, glancing over at the group on the beach dubiously. "I can come with you…" he offered uneasily, his eyes flitting higher to the innocently glittering sea.

"Taylor, you hate the sea." Diego sighed, shaking his head at his friends stubbornness. "You're barely able to float, so you're hardly gonna wanna swim or go anywhere _near_ the water." He said knowingly, laughing quietly when Taylor grinaced at the thought. "Dude, seriously… just _go_ already... you know, you'll be able to survey the whole area from up there…" he said in a sweet, sing song voice.

Taylor hesitated, humming thoughtfully at the notion. It was true that the control tower overlooked a large part of the rainforest on this side of the island, giving him a good chance to check for signs of threat or danger… plus, he really did love climbing. "Urgh, okay, fine… but I'm only going to get the scope of the land." He said, narrowing his eyes at Diego's disbelieving snort.

"Uh huh, and the pilot who happens to look _exactly_ _like your drawing_ has absolutely nothing to do with it, I'm sure." He drawled teasingly, smirking and folding his arms over his chest as Taylor flushed with embarrassment.

"That…" he stumbled for words, glancing at Jake as he finished locking the hangar and blushing even warmer. "I… must have seen him somewhere before, that's all. Passing glimpse or something." He said dismissively, clearing his throat and shaking his head quickly. "Stop it." He hissed quietly, glancing at Jake and back hastily.

"I'm not doing anything." Diego defended innocently, spreading his palms as his grin all but split his face in two.

"Don't keep _looking_ at me like that." Taylor hissed, scowling at Diego as he hummed and made shooing motions for him to join Jake. "Don't… _go_ anywhere or _touch_ anything. I mean it! _Anything_!" He called back, worrying his lip as he walked toward the tower and then paused to wait for Jake, frowning after his friend as Diego laughed and ran down to join those who had stayed behind on the beach.

"Hey, don't stress yaself… he'll be fine, waitin' with the others." Jake assured, startling Taylor as he joined him and taking a pointed step back from him. "Damn, ya really ain't a friendly one, are ya, Boy Scout?" He chuckled, raising a brow as he eyed Taylor with curious amusement.

Taylor rolled his eyes, choosing not to respond as he hummed along to his music under his breath and fell into step a short distance away from the pilot. "So," Jake coughed after an extended, awkward silence. "He ya boyfriend or somethin'?"

Taylor raised a brow, flicking his eyes over Jake quickly. "Jus' curious, seein's how ya so strung up 'bout 'im…" Jake clarified quickly, catching his curious glance.

Taylor looked forward again, content to ignore the question and focus on his music, except for Diego's voice intruding into his thoughts and complaining that he wasn't _being friendly._ He sighed, rolling his eyes and looking away from the pilot. "... brother." He finally replied, figuring the answer was as close to the truth as it needed to be.

"Ah, makes sense then." Jake chuckled, though Taylor could feel his eyes still on him, seeming _more_ curious by the answer than he had been before Taylor had actually answered. "Welp, this place is pretty gorgeous," he said, glancing sideways at Taylor as if to gauge his response, as they stepped onto the first rickety and rusted step of the control tower.

Taylor glanced around the vibrant and lush rainforest, stretching out beside them and grunting noncommittally. He supposed it _was_ a pretty beautiful island… but then it would be wouldn't it? All the most deadly things were beautiful. 

"So, uh," Jake coughed, his expression twisting with something akin to confusion as he clearly floundered for something to say.

"Do you fly here often?" Taylor asked suddenly, successfully distracting the pilot from whatever question he'd been trying to think up.

"Heh, here an' every other privately owned resort island in the Caribbean," he replied, seeming pleased that he hadn't had to think of something to say for himself. He grinned proudly as Taylor made a mental note that the pilot had specifically mentioned _private islands_ , though he wrinkled his nose and looked out at the rainforest again when Jake winked at him. "All the favoured vacation spots o' the young an' the privileged…"

Taylor hummed dismissively, wondering whether Diego had actually stayed on the beach with the others, or if he'd been an idiot and decided to make his own way up to the hotel. A chill ran down his spine, as he realised the latter was the more likely option.

"So, uh, whaddaya do at colleg-?" Jake began, clearing his throat when he realised that Taylor had abandoned their previous conversation.

"What _is_ this? Twenty questions?" Taylor snapped hotly, scowling at Jake's persistent interruptions of his thoughts and his prying.

"Hey now, _whoa_!" Jake hugged, raising his palms in placation. "I was jus' bein' friendly, ya know? Heard 's polite to show a 'lil curiosity in-"

"Yeah? Well, you don't need to worry about being polite with _me_ ," Taylor scoffed, climbing the slowly winding stairs with a light spring in his step, looking out across the top of the trees and inhaling a deep breath slowly. "My life is _private_ , so quit asking dumb questions about things that have nothing to do with you."

"Hey now," Jake chuckled, frowning as Taylor whirled on him with a scowl. "Ain't gotta be so defensive, Boy Scout, I ain't pryin'-"

"No? So if _I_ started asking _you_ all sorts of things about _your_ life?" Taylor cut in irritably, narrowing his eyes at Jake. "Tell you what, you tell me what _you_ did before you started flying rich brats out to _private island resorts_ and I'll tell you what _I_ do at college." He said firmly, folding his arms over his chest defiantly as Jake's expression shuttered closed.

Taylor glared at Jake stoically, refusing to be the first to back down. Finally, Jake clocked his tongue, his brow furrowing slightly. "Fight pilot. Navy." He bit out gruffly, cocking his jaw and huffing a dry, bitter chuckle as he blew a strand of hair from over his eyes. "I was good at it too… best in my class." He said wistfully, before his eyes hardened again, his gaze locked somewhere over Taylor's shoulder. "'Til I got discharged."

Taylor fidgeted awkwardly, an unexpected twinge of guilt curling in his stomach. "... what happened?" He asked hesitantly, his fingers gripping his elbows tightly, as if to stop his skin from crawling off his own arms.

Jake's eyes flicked over to Taylor's, the cerulean orbs darting over him briefly before he averted his gaze back over his shoulder. "Punched my commandin' officer in the jaw." He said tightly, his shoulders tense, as if expecting Taylor to express disgust or to condemn him.

Taylor frowned, running his eyes over Jake slowly. He didn't know the man, he had no idea where he _must_ have seen him before, but yet; he found it hard to believe that the pilot would do something so groundbreaking, without _something_ having acted as a catalyst for his actions. "Hmm," he mused thoughtfully, shaking his head in confusion. "Well, I'm sure he deserved it." He said at last.

Jake blinked, seeming surprised by his reason. "... yeah." He said, his throat constricting tightly as his shoulders relaxed discreetly. "He did." He said, a very final ring to his tone which informed Taylor that the topic was now most definitely _closed._

Taylor closed his eyes, his brow twitching in frustration as the silence lingered between them, knowing he was now expected to uphold his end of the bargain. "I… draw." He said at last, slowly peeling his eyes open to cast Jake a dubious look. "And I cook."

"Huh, odd mix," Jake said quietly, clearing his throat as he tried to shake off the lingering effects of his old memories.

Taylor hummed and shrugged dismissively, turning and beginning up the stairs again. "I know it's nothing as _exciting_ as punching commanding officers or anything…" he said, offering Jake a sly grin over his shoulder when the pilot laughed in surprise.

"Heh, yeah well…" he chuckled, shaking his head as he followed after Taylor. "I've been ferryin' rich folks 'round the Caribbean an' lyin' in a beach hammock in Costa Rica ever since," he said by way of dismissal.

Taylor sighed wistfully. "Wow… that sounds pretty _magical_ ," he admitted begrudgingly, chuckling when Jake stumbled from missing a step in surprise.

" _Really_?!" He choked, blinking quickly and brushing his hair from his face as Taylor glanced back at him. "Ya into it?"

"Why're you so surprised?" Taylor asked, a small twitch in his lip as he raised a brow at the pilot. "You've already said yourself that I'm not exactly a _people_ person," he snickered, turning and backing up the steps slowly.

"Well, yeah, but…" Jake huffed, shaking his head as he watched Taylor saunter backwards almost playfully, his lips tugging into a grin as he stepped after him slowly. "I just… most folk think 's weird." He said, lifting a shoulder briefly. "They want the big houses, the 'lil white picket fences… the dumb kids, playin' in the yard-"

Taylor rolled his eyes with a small snort. "Top Gun, I'm bad enough coping with _adults_ ," he sniggered. "Can you _imagine_ how bad I would be with _kids_ ?" He laughed at the thought, shaking his head at the ridiculous notion. "Heh, I'm not like _most folk_ , incase you hadn't guessed." He said with a secretive smirk.

Jake blinked, staring up at him from a few steps below as he continued to saunter backward up the stairs, his clear eyes blazing; as if _truly_ seeing Taylor for the first time. "No, Boy Scout…" he drawled slowly, his eyes running over Taylor thoughtfully. "I guess ya ain't…"

Taylor snickered, feeling oddly conflicted by his conversation with the pilot. On the one hand, he'd done as Diego had been pleading for him to for so long; he'd been nice and even perhaps gone as far as being _friendly_. But, then again, on the other hand…

Taylor gasped, his eyes snapping down to the staircase as his foot touched the next step, a loud crack briefly drowning out the music which was still playing in his ears. " _Boy Scout_!" Jake yelled, his amusement wiped away by fear as he extended a hand toward Taylor and rushed forward; at the same time that Taylor jumped and parted his legs, bracing his feet on the bottom of the railing, either side of the now broken step.

Together, they silently watched the rusted fragments of the metal step twirl gracefully over each other, plummeting some fifty feet to the ground, where they landed with a dull crash. "Huh," Taylor hummed, frowning down at the empty hole where his foot had been seconds before. "Guess I should be a little more careful…" he said lightly, disguising the terrified hammering of his heart in his chest with a cool and calm exterior.

"Hot _damn_ ," Jake whistled, impressed with his speedy reactions. "I knew a couple folk who would've _killed_ for some reflexes like that, back in the military…"

"Heh," Taylor coughed awkwardly, shuffling his feet up to the next step and turning quickly, licking his lips and glancing around nervously as the thud of his heart drowned out his own music. "Yeah, they're uh, pretty good, I guess…"

"Ya _guess_ -" Jake spluttered, as Taylor cleared his throat and hurried up the remaining steps, trotting around the outer walkway of the tower and leaning on the far railing, staring vacantly across the treetops. The pilot made to follow him, before seeming to read his severe shift in mood and tactfully deciding to let the topic drop. "C'mon, Boy Scout…" he called quietly, lingering as Taylor hummed negligently but made no move to approach.

With a sigh, Jake turned and walked to the control tower door, throwing it open with slightly more force than was necessary, Taylor noted with an odd stab of amusement. "Carlos! Ya dumb…" the pilot began in a growl, only to pause and step hesitantly through the door. "Hey… what the-?"

Taylor frowned, unexpectedly pulled from his personal concerns about his own _lucky_ behaviour. He turned back to the control room curiously and slowly made his own way over, wondering what had distracted Jake from his angry tirade. He blinked, looking into the control room in confusion. "There's… nobody here." He said without thinking. 

"Gee, thanks for that, Eagle Eyes," Jake snarked, running his fingers through his hair distractedly. "An' here I hadn't noticed…"

Taylor rolled his eyes, unmoved by the pilots sarcasm. He turned away in disinterest, leaving Jake to his little tantrum and wandering over to a nearby desk, raising a brow as he examined it closely. He hesitantly extended a hand, barely touching his fingers to the top and sliding them toward him, though the action left three sharp, dark marks upon the dusty surface. "Huh," he clicked his tongue against his cheek, glancing around and wiping his fingers on his t-shirt. "And… you're _sure_ this airstrip is still in use?" He asked, turning to peer at Jake questioningly, tipping his head to his findings when Jake glanced over with an obvious barb on the tip of his tongue.

The pilot frowned, pausing to examine the deep break in the dust, before shaking his head irritably. "O' course I'm bloody sure," he bit out, heaving a frustrated sigh and planting one hand firmly on his hips, his other reaching up to scrub thoughtfully over his stubble dusted jaw. "I was here jus' a few days ago, an' I'm _damn_ sure…" he spat, his confused expression melting and his voice fading, as something distracted him outside the tower.

Taylor tensed expectantly, his body on alert as the pilot dropped his hands to his sides and stepped forward slowly. "... Jake?" He whispered, his heart rising to his throat as his body froze, torn between fight or flight. "Jake… what is it?" He demanded urgently, calculating how long it could take them to get out of the tower, before whatever it was could catch them.

Jake ignored Taylor, utterly absorbed as his face lit with wonder. Taylor frowned, positive that anything capable of attacking them right now, should most certainly _not_ be the cause of such an awestruck expression. He realised he was going to have to look for himself and devise a plan for their escape, as Jake was now apparently _useless_ and would clearly be of _no_ help defending them. 

With great reluctance, Taylor took a deep breath and slowly turned around, watching as Jake tentatively touched his hand to the glass wall and gazed into the sky, a myriad of colours washing over him. "... oh." Taylor huffed with relief, relaxing as he realised just what had caught the pilots attention.

He followed after Jake, mildly amused by the pilots entranced state as he stared at the softly pulsing lights. Red and blue fluttered across the treetops, tinting the atmosphere with a soft, rippling aurora. 

"Wha..?" Jake breathed, blinking slowly as Taylor snorted quietly, amused by his reaction. He turned his head and peered over the island himself, allowing himself a tiny smile as the effect of the lights made him feel unusually warm and relaxed. "What the hell..?"

Taylor stared across the horizon, watching the lights dance across the treetops with an unfamiliar contentment. He inhaled a deep breath, blinking slowly and licking his lips. _The lights of Vaanu…_ he thought distantly. _Supposedly a good omen, though I highly doubt it. Nothing on this stupid island is-_ he snipped the thought off abruptly, shaking his head and clearing his throat quickly. "I… uh, I dunno." He mumbled, telling himself he wasn't _really_ lying, because they were just some dumb lights in the sky.

He glanced toward Jake, catching the pilots clear eyes as he turned to Taylor, who was shocked by their close proximity. Jake must have shifted closer than he'd realised while they watched the lights play, he realised distantly, struck by a confusing desire to now watch the lights flicker across Jake's eyes, the colours lost to the depths of their clarity.

All at once, the colours disappeared. Taylor sucked in a deep breath as if he'd just stuck his head into a cold water spray, music suddenly flaring to life on his ears again as he blinked quickly.

Jake exhaled a deep breath, shaking himself physically as he threw of the lingering effects if his enraptured state. "Uh, sorry…" he muttered, looking down and chuckling softly his fingers squeezing Taylor's gently where the pilot had unintentionally laced them together.

Abruptly, the world began to spin. Taylor's breath quickened, his heart all but leaping out of his chest as he yelped and viciously tugged at his hand, pulling free of Jake with such force that he stumbled backward several steps. " _Ah_ !" He gasped, the sound if blood rushing in his ears, drowning out his music once again. "Ah, I… _others_!" He barely managed to choke, his wide eyes barely registering the shocked look on Jake's face as he hid both hands behind his back, leaning away from the pilots concerned reach.

"Hey, now, don't-" he said carefully, his eyes sharp as he wisely took a step back, raising his palms before him like Taylor was a wild animal, caught in a trap.

As soon as Jake had moved, Taylor darted around him, ignoring his shout of warning and racing through the tower door, hurtling down the first flight of steps and bracing both hands on the railing, leaping over the side without thinking. " _Boy Scout_!" Jake yelled from somewhere above him, as he sailed through the air with no thoughts in his head but to put as much distance as possible between them, as quickly as he possibly could.

He landed with a dull thud, bending his knees and rolling forward, springing back to his feet and pausing to stare at his extended hands in disbelief. _It's starting…_ he thought frantically, panting for breath as he clutched his hands into tight balls before him and squeezed his eyes shut for a brief pause. Grief, horror, fear, rage and dismay all smothered him, a sound of distress escaping him as he ignored the clatter of Jake's hurried descent behind him, snapping his eyes open and breaking into a sprint; racing away to the hangar and desperately praying to have himself back under control before Diego and the others found him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick question; should I add mpreg????


	3. Secrets And Lies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all  
> Still going but I know it's not great  
> Sorry 
> 
> Adding the mpreg tag now, thanks for your replies
> 
> x My love to you all x

**Primal**

Taylor ran faster than he recalled running in the past fifteen years combined, his feet brutally slapping the ground as he raced to put as much distance as he could between himself and the control tower. He headed for the hangar, intending to dive inside and hide until he remembered that Jake had locked the doors; instead darting around the edge of the building and pressing his back to the wall so fast that his head cracked loudly against the hard surface.

" _ Argh..! _ " He hissed, wincing as he reached up and slid his hand over his head, distractedly feeling for any sign of injury. 

His breathing was strained, his heart hammering in his ears like Jake's feet had clattered on the steps down from the control tower. He gulped and gasped for air, but no matter how desperately he tried to pull a breath into his lungs, it didn't seem to help. "... _ no _ ..!" He whimpered, squeezing his eyes shut tight and gritting his teeth, digging the fingernails of his free hand into his thigh as his chest rose and fell rapidly, a soft growl building in his throat.

"...  _ Boy Scoooout! _ " Jake's yell caused him to tense, holding his breath abruptly and feeling somewhat as if he were suffocating. Why was Jake's voice so loud? Had he been hyperventilating here  _ that _ long that he could have caught up?

Taylor opened his eyes and leaned carefully around the corner of the hangar, relief coursing through him so fast that it made him dizzy. He exhaled a long sigh, watching Jake stumble off the final step from the tower and walk over to the spot where Taylor had first landed, crouching low and touching the ground almost as if he expected it to bite him. Taylor pulled back as Jake's head snapped up, his body rising fluidly as he set off at a run after him, running along the airstrip toward the hangar. " _ Boy Scout!"  _ He called again as he began to approach, though he was still far enough that Taylor knew he could move away and hide at the far end of the building.

He stepped back carefully, glancing down atthe ground to make sure he hadn't left any distinguishable prints and pausing when he saw two smal buds bounce lightly in the middle of his chest.

_ They must have fallen out when I landed… _ he thought, awash with understanding as he quickly picked up the ear buds and stuffed them back in his ears, relaxing slightly as a familiar beat began to pulse in his ears. With a subtle glance back at the airstrip, noting that Jake was now halfway across the airstrip to the hangar, Taylor quickly turned away and slipped around the side of the building; careful not to leave any tracks so he could hide at the far end of the building and recover himself fully, before having to face anyone else.

He leaned back against the wall, mindful of his head this time and slowly lifted his hand in front of his face.  _ How could I not have noticed he was..? _ He wondered, his cheeks warming as he recalled the disconcerting realisation that he and Jake had been  _ holding hands. _ He shook his head vehemently, curling his hand into a tight fist and telling himself that there was no strange tingling on his skin.

_ I wasn't  _ **_that_ ** _ absorbed by the lights, was I?  _ He thought, tugging his lip between his teeth.  _ Well… whatever! It doesn't  _ **_mean_ ** _ anything! I didn't even notice! It  _ **_can't_ ** _ mean anything! _ He thought, desperately willing himself to believe the words. He sucked in a deep breath, holding it as he listened to the beat of his music for an extended pause, before exhaling it slowly.

He repeated the exercise six more times, before he began to feel anywhere near to calmer. "Okay," he muttered, fixing his gaze on a thick tree trunk opposite him.  _ Well, I can't undo it… but, it doesn't mean anything, for sure. It was just a… a slip. Brief. I can make sure it doesn't happen again anyway, which will just go to prove that it was… nothing. _ He told himself, nodded firmly as he turned his head against the wall, tensing as he listened to movement on the other side of the hangar.

"Boy Scout, where the hell are ya?" Jake called, a frown in his voice as Taylor hid silently. "Ya could've bloody  _ killed _ yaself!" He called, his steps slowing to a halt for a moment, before they began to recede away from the hangar again. "Boy Scout?  _ Boy Scout?! _ " He called, his voice fading as he unknowingly put more distance between them.

Taylor heaved a silent sigh of relief, licking his lips and swallowing heavily as he looked at his hand again.  _ I need to be more vigilant… even more than I have been. La Huerta is a whole different ball game, _ he thought, frowning as he looked away from his hand and slowly lowered it to his side.  _ If I give it even the  _ **_smallest_ ** _ opportunity, it will screw me over; along with  _ **_everyone_ ** _ who came on this dumb trip… Diego included. _ He clutched his trouser leg tightly in his palm, scowling into the distant trees as fury pulsed through him quickly. 

_ No… not him _ . He thought firmly.  _ I won't let it. All I have to do is stay away from the pilot and keep Diego safe for  _ **_one week_ ** _ … _ he told himself, sighing as he pushed off the hangar wall and cracked his neck. "Okay," he mumbled, bouncing on the balls of his feet a moment, before taking a deep breath and walking around the far end of the hangar, stuffing his hands in his pockets and arranging his face into a bored expression as he gazed around the rainforest and strolled casually toward the airstrip.

"Taylor!" Diego's call made him look up sharply, his brow furrowing as his best friend came charging up the beach with Quinn and Jake just behind him. "Taylor! Oh my god… are you okay?!" Diego gasped, leaning forward and bracing his hands on his knees as he grimaced, panting as he tried to catch his breath.

Taylor glanced around the anxious faces, taken aback by the concern in all three. "Uh, yeah…" he said slowly, lifting a brow in a controlled show of confusion. "Why..?" He asked, firmly preventing himself from glancing toward the pilot when he scoffed in disbelief.

" _ Why _ ?!" He demanded, his eyes wide as he stared at Taylor, who chanced the briefest glance possible at him, before looking back at Diego. "Maybe 'cause ya jus' took a fifty foot  _ free fall  _ an' didn't even pause after, 'fore takin' off like some kinda Usain Bolt wannabe!"

Diego glanced up at Taylor, his face twisted with a mixture of pain and fear as he pressed his hand to his hip and examined Taylor through squinted eyes. "Dude… what-?"

"I'm fine." He said matter of factly, lifting a shoulder casually. "How was the beach?" He asked, unsubtly attempting to divert the subject away from himself.

"The..?" Diego sighed and shook his head, running his fingers through his hair as he rubbed his side a final time and then straightened fully. "Taylor, you don't care how the beach was-"

"Of course I do," he interrupted quickly, ignoring Diego's scowl of exasperation and grinning back at him easily. "I asked, didn't I?" He laughed, hoping he sounded convincing and fairly confident he succeeded in at least fooling Quinn.

"Ya jus'..!" Jake protested, clearly  _ not _ getting the mental memo that Taylor wished to change the subject. "How the hell're ya not dead or at the very least, not hurt?" He demanded.

Taylor glowered at him haughtily. "It was just an adrenaline rush." He said in flipped tones, very firmly closing the door on the conversation, or so he thought.

" _ Adrenalin-?! _ " Jake choked, as Diego extended a hand toward him and sighed with resignation. 

"Uh, look, I'm sorry…" he said, spreading his palms and trying to draw Jake out of the heated glare he was locked into with Taylor. "He um, he's a… well, he's kind of a daredevil..!" He babbled, stamping on Taylor's foot hard when he opened his mouth to argue that  _ no _ , he most certainly was  _ not _ . "Yeah, yeah..! He loves heights, climbing and stuff and then, uh… jumping… from them." He finished lamely, clearing his throat and glancing at Taylor, pursing his lips and tipping his head toward the pilot as he narrowed his eyes at him meaningfully.

Taylor sighed and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I'm a total daredevil." He drawled in a flat, unconvincing tone. "I just can't resist jumping from any high place I lay eyes on."

Diego shot him a sharp look, before chuckling awkwardly. "Ha ha, ha… see?" He coughed, pretending not to notice Jake and Quinn share a pointed look. "Totally… uh, totally explainable." He said quickly, clearing his throat and wiping the back of his hand over his forehead. " _ Phew, _ man it's been a long day, huh? We should probably head back to the hotel now, right?" He said, fixing Taylor with a pointed look. 

Taylor shrugged dismissively. "If you're ready now." He said snidely, repressing the twitch of his lips as Diego scowled at him. 

He hung back as Quinn and Diego picked up their things, Jake casting him a final disconcerted look, before he was drawn into a conversation between the three of them. Taylor grabbed the handle of his bag, smirking as he fell into step behind them and hummed along to his music under his breath.

They wound their way along the path gradually, following the tracks from the others who had already trekked up to the hotel. Taylor was dawdling quite contently at the back of the group, listening to the rapid ebb and flow of his music, when a low cough by his side made him turn and raise his brows innocently.

"So…" Diego drawled slowly, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth as he sauntered along beside him. "What happened?" He asked knowingly.

"Nothing." Taylor replied airily, half raising his shoulder before letting it drop again. He turned away again, averting his eyes from his friend to scan the edge of the rainforest.

"Taylor, obviously _something_ happened, else you wouldn't have _jumped off the_ _freaking tower_ ," Diego whispered furiously, shooting him a contemptuous look. "Don't give me that _crap_ , Assbutt, _tell me_ what happened to freak you out so badly!"

Taylor sighed, rolling his eyes and moving to turn up the volume on his music player, fully intending to ignore his best friend. "Don't even  _ think _ about it, Taylor... I'm warning you!" Diego hissed, narrowing his eyes at him when Taylor reluctantly flicked a glance in his direction. "You tell me now, or I ask  _ Jake _ what happened and maybe even decide to ask if he wants to see  _ one of your drawings _ !"

Taylor scowled at Diego, stubbornly jutting out his lower lip and refusing to answer, until Diego opened his mouth and sucked in a deep breath to call over to Jake. "He touched my hand, okay?!" He hissed in a hurried whisper, shooting a glance at Quinn and Jake a few paces ahead of them.

Diego's jaw dropped, his eyes widening in surprise. "What?" He said dumbly, as Taylor snorted and rolled his eyes irritably. " _ How _ ?" He scoffed disbelievingly, shaking his head as if to clear it. "You never get close enough to  _ anyone _ for that to happen… what the hell-?"

"I don't know, okay?!" Taylor hissed quickly, pouting at the dirt track beneath their feet. "It all happened so quick… we were looking around he control tower, we saw some lights and then when they stopped, he looked down and said sorry, then squeezed my damn fingers! I almost had a fucking heart attack…" he babbled, the words tumbling from his mouth without thought as he shook his head in disbelief and frustration. "So, of course, I bolted…"

"Taylor…" Diego sighed, stretching his head back on his neck and gazing up at the clear sky above them thoughtfully. Several long seconds trickled by, before he quietly spoke again. "Dude, why don't you just _explain_ that you don't like people touching you? I mean, this was obviously just… some kind of misunderstanding and probably even an accident, especially if neither of you even noticed it happening… I'm sure everyone would understand-"

"Diego, nobody needs to know anything about me." Taylor said firmly, stubbornly looking away and refusing to say anything further, turning up his music so that Diego wouldn't press the issue.

Diego sighed and shook his head sadly, a strained silence falling between them as they continued to trudge up the path toward the hotel.

It was just as Quinn and Diego were beginning to tire, each complaining of fatigue, when they rounded a bend and caught sight of their destination at last. "So… this is it, huh?" Jake said as he fell back to walk with Taylor when Quinn and Diego cheered with tired excitement. Taylor glanced at him curiously, for it was the first time the pilot had spoken to him directly since they'd left the airstrip. "Ya know, I must've been to this island fifty times by now… an' this is the first time I been off the airstrip."

Taylor blinked impassively, wondering why the pilot was telling  _ him _ such a mundane tidbit of information, especially while casting him uncertain glances. If he was so uncomfortable saying such things, then why was he bothering at all? "Oh," he said blandly, the single word hanging between them awkwardly, until Quinn's cheerful sigh broke the tense silence.

"The Celestial!" She said, tilting her head to peer up the sheer building in wonder. Taylor reluctantly looked for himself, wondering at its position and what potential defensesair might have in place. He hoped there were many.

Ultimately however, he was unimpressed. The tall building curved in a gentle crescent shape, the hotel face littered with countless shimmering windows, reflecting the multicoloured lights from the slowly setting sun prettily enough. There was altogether too many white pillars for his liking, along with an ornamental overhang above the entrance; easy to scale and providing a handy ledge for anyone with nefarious intentions. He shook his head, sighing with disappointment at the overly flashy building.

"Well, c'mon then…" Jake coughed, gesturing toward the hotel and seeming to cast it a wary look himself. "Ya'll paid me to bring ya here, so… that's what I'm gonna do."

"So, you've never actually stayed here?" Taylor found himself asking, frowning at the building dubiously as they all began the final jog towards the lobby entrance. "You don't know any of the security measures in place then?" He said, pursing his lips as he reluctantly followed after Diego and made toward the hotel.

"Nah, couldn't tell ya… sorry," Jake said, shrugging his shoulders as he eyed the building thoughtfully. "But a buddy o' mine once said there were whispers that they had some sorta secret defense system which packed a heck o' a wallop…" he confessed after a moments pause.

Taylor hummed, eyeing the building again with new consideration. _Perhaps there's hope after_ _all_ … he mused, allowing a small bud of hope to bloom despite his distrust of _anything_ on such a hell hole of an island like La Huerta. 

" _ Sooo _ ," Diego's unsubtle drawl distracted Taylor from his thoughts about security and defenses for a moment, his eyes narrowing suspiciously at the dusting of pink on his friends cheeks as he cast shy glances toward Jake. "It  _ is _ Jake, right..? Are you taking off again after this, or are you thinking of maybe… sticking around for awhile?" He asked, ignoring the scowl Taylor threw his way.

"Just gotta get Carlos to refuel me plane, an' I'm outta here." Jake chuckled, lifting his shoulders lightly. "There's bottle of anejo callin' my name back in Costa Rica." He said, casting an amused look at Taylor when he sighed wistfully.

"Urgh… what I wouldn't give to be going to Costa Rica," he said, his daydreamy smile disappearing like he'd been slapped, when Diego failed to stifle an amused snort. "Hell, what I wouldn't give to be going  _ anywhere else  _ right now…" he said tightly, narrowing his eyes at his friend.

Jake snickered, breaking the tension as he opened the hotel lobby door and held it open as he tossed Taylor a playful wink. "Try not to miss me too much, Boy Scout." He said, smirking as Taylor balked and tripped over his bag as he walked through the door.

He stumbled forward, a sharp retort on the tip of his tongue, when he noticed something  _ very _ wrong amid the cool air conditioning of the lobby. "Uhh…" he said, shaking his head as his stomach tied itself into a small knot.

"What the…?" Jake murmured, seeming similarly shocked by the revelation awaiting them.

"I think… we might have just stepped into The Twilight Zone, guys…" Diego said slowly, as he and Quinn stepped through the door with a soft gasp.

Taylor frowned and took a step sideways, shifting himself away from Quinn and Jake's proximity before looking around the lobby again. He saw Lila and the other students, all standing in the centre of the lobby; the remainder of the entrance way completely and utterly devoid of all signs of life.

"I… I don't understand…" Lila babbled, her voice shall and her eyes wide as she turned in circles, finding nothing and nobody to help her.

The silence around them was deafening, smothering. The front desk was utterly deserted, while suitcases and luggage carts pay abandoned; scattered and unattended. Taylor narrowed his eyes at a lone glass of wine perched on a table, half finished and gathering dust; as it clearly had been for some time. He reached up slowly, turning the volume on his music player up as he tried to drown out the awful, oppressive silence.

"Hey, Taylor!" Sean called, Taylor's eyes snapping over to him as he stared back in wide eyes confusion. "Uh, do  _ you _ happen to know…  _ where the hell everyone is _ ?"

Taylor glanced around the lobby before looking back at Sean, raising a brow in confusion. "Uh, no?" He replied, flicking his eyes to Diego and exchanging a shrug with him. "You were here first… don't  _ you _ know?" He added snidely, ignoring Diego as he paused his lips and frowned at him in disapproval. 

"This is stupid…" Michelle scoffed, breaking free of the group and storming forward to the front desk. " _ Helloooooo _ ?!" She shrieked, unaware of Taylor's grimace at her piercing tone as she rang the concierge bell mercilessly. "Where the  _ hell _ is everybody?!"

Taylor wrinkled his nose, shaking his head and sighing as he looked away, trying to drown the blonde out by focusing on his music.

"So," Sean sighed, distractedly running his hand over his hair, turning a slow circle in the middle of the lobby to see if there were any clues as to what might of happened. "This is gonna make for one  _ weird-ass _ yelp review…"

Taylor saw several of the other students offer weak smiles at the joke, but the atmosphere remained heavy and solemn despite the attempt to clear it.

"The hotel staff did know we were coming this week, right?" Asked the curly haired woman in a bright orange sweater, the one who had been both fascinated and terrified by the storm, Taylor recalled. "This is  _ not _ good…" she said uneasily, steepling her fingers and tapping them together in a show of nervous agitation. 

" _ Pfft _ , what the hell're you complaining about,  _ dweeb _ ?" Craig demanded, spreading his arms as he gestured around them all gleefully. "We have a whole goddamn hotel to ourselves… this is  _ sick, _ ya'll!"

Taylor hummed distractedly, his eyes still busy memorizing the lobby as he reluctantly conceded the point. "Hmm, much as it pains me to admit it, I'm with the big Flat Head on this one…" he said, refusing to feel bad for the downcast look on the woman's pretty, dark face. "Look, the only thing better than a week in  _ paradise _ ," he sneered the word distastefully, grimacing when it left a bad taste in his mouth. "Is a  _ private _ week in… uh,  _ paradise _ ."

Diego frowned at him, huffing a quick sigh of annoyance before he looked over at the woman apologetically. "Sorry," he said shyly, half extending his arm between himself and Taylor. "What my uh,…  _ tactless _ friend here means is that, we should make the most of our own luck, Grace… or at least, we should while we're  _ here _ , anyway."

"Oh…" the woman, Grace, still bore a sad, downcast expression, but she sniffed and tried to sound more confident than she clearly felt. "Okay…" she mumbled, pasting a falsely cheerful smile to her lips.

Taylor almost felt bad, but he was distracted by Craig cheering and raising his hand into the air. "Ha ha, aw  _ yeah _ ! Me and Taylor got our brains on the same wavelength!" He cackled.

Taylor stared, his eyes flicking back and forth between Craig's hand and his face, his brow raised questioningly. "You might wanna get that checked, Taylor… sounds terminal." Zahra quipped in a bored tone, a small grin curling her lip as she watched Taylor pointedly step away from Craig's raised hand. "Heh,  _ burn  _ Craigger's… looks like you're gonna be left hangin'," she sniggered.

Craig's face fell into a frown, but before he could linger on the development, Raj's head popped up from behind the bar, a beaming grin on his face as he rose with a distinctly glass like  _ clink _ . "At least the booze is still here!" He cheered, lifting two large bottles into the air. "Who's up for a Mai Tai?!"

"Heh,  _ now _ ya speakin' my language, Bottomless…" Jake chuckled, walking over to the bar with his hands stuffed into his pockets.

Taylor discreetly sighed in relief, Craig's attention drawn away from the high five which he hadn't returned. "Hey, Taylor… check it out," he turned at the sound of Diego's voice, joining his friend as he stepped closer to a lounge chair and tentatively picked up the half full glass of wine which had been abandoned on the table beside it. He narrowed his eyes, turning the glass slowly to reveal the unmistakable sticky, red mark on the rim. "Fresh lipstick…" he whispered with a frown, as Taylor cast a distrustful look over the room. "It's like everyone just suddenly… up and left."

"But without their luggage?" Quinn asked, sidling over to join them. She puffed out her cheeks in a confused pout, gesturing around the numerous bags which littered the lobby floor around them. " _ Why _ ?"

Taylor continued to examine the lobby, finally glancing between Quinn and Diego when he noticed their lingering silence and realised they were waiting for his input. "What do I look like? Some sort of psychic?" He asked, raising a brow. "How the hell am I supposed to know?" He demanded, glowering at them both and shifting his weight between his legs uneasily.

Diego groaned and rolled his eyes. "Down, boy…" he sighed, making a rolling motion with his arm. "We aren't expecting you to  _ know _ , we're asking what you  _ think _ . Stop being so damn tetchy and just tell us."

Taylor scowled. "Why? You won't like  _ my _ answer, anyway." He scoffed, pointedly looking away as Diego sighed and murmured in quiet apology to Quinn. 

"Hey… any o' ya got cell reception?" Jake called, his brow furrowed as he leaned his back against the bar, scrolling through his phone with one hand and an open bottle of bourbon in the other.

Taylor frowned himself, digging his phone out of his pocket and checking his screen quickly, confirming that like the pilot; he had no signal. "Maybe they don't got towers here…" Craig countered dismissively. 

"Oh please, of  _ course _ this island has cell towers, you colossal buffoon!" Snarled the albino man with the piercing blue eyes, currently blazing with fury as he glared at the big jock with his arms folded over his chest superiorly.

"And how would  _ you _ know that?" Zahra demanded, narrowing her eyes distrustfully at the white haired man.

"I… well, of course… I," he stammered, blinking in surprise at the hostile rebuke. His dark scowl returned quickly, his fury shifting from Craig to Zahra. "Perhaps because I am not a complete imbecile?!" He snarled heatedly. "They were  _ plainly _ visible in the distance upon our approach!" He sneered, shaking his head as he unfolded his arms and stormed away from the group, oblivious of Zahea scowling at his back as he left.

Taylor is ignored them all, his eyes busy considering the lost luggage, the lonely glass of half finished wine, the empty concierge desk and everything else so utterly  _ wrong  _ with the hotel lobby. Had they been attacked? Had the guests been kidnapped or taken hostage? Murdered? Were they all still here somewhere, an unknown threat in and of themselves? And where was the  _ staff _ -?

"At the risk of you biting my head off again, I'll ask you privately…" Diego murmured quietly, drawing Taylor's attention to where he stood quietly beside him, not looking at him but looking around the group with a contemplative expression. "Taylor, what  _ do _ you think is going on?" He asked, finally looking up at him with a concerned look.

Taylor sighed, shaking his head. "I told you not to come to this stupid island…" he said just as quietly, looking around the deserted lobby again. "I don't know, Diego… but it wasn't anything good, that's for sure." He said, sliding his phone back into his pocket and stuffing his hand in after it. "Honestly, I would feel a  _ lot _ better if everyone jumped out any second now, and all  _ this _ turned out to be some elaborate prank…"

"A prank?" Diego repeated, raising a brow in surprise. "Dude, you hate pranks… you hate  _ people _ , let alone  _ lots  _ of people; all in on the  _ same _ prank…"

"Yeah, well, maybe that should tell you something, if that's my preferred scenario." Taylor snarked, narrowing his eyes at his friend briefly.

"Taylor-" Diego's sentence hung unfinished between them, Craig laughing as he caught the tail end of their conversation. 

"Yo, that's  _ dope _ !" He cheered, beaming a wide grin at them. "Those YouTube videos where a camera crew suddenly pops up after freaking out a group of dorks, scaring the piss outta them? Man I  _ love  _ YouTube pranks like that…"

Zahra snorted derisively. "Your whole  _ existence _ is a prank on the rest of us, Craig."

Taylor snickered, his lips twitching with amusement until he noticed Diego was still frowning at him. "What?" He huffed, spreading his palms defensively. "Dude, seriously, how the hell should I know?" He demanded waspishly, sighing in exasperation.  _ Diego didn't wanna listen to my warnings all week and now it's all 'oh what happened, Taylor?' Pfft, I don't think so. _ He thought to himself irritably. "Why don't you ask the stupid tour guide?" He suggested hotly, wincing and glaring at Diego when he stomped on his foot for his comment.

"Stop being such an ass," Diego hissed warningly, glowering at him a moment longer, before Taylor petulantly averted his gaze. Diego sighed. "Uh… has anyone seen Lila?" He asked tentatively.

"She's outside." Taylor muttered mutinously, glancing over when Diego huffed a short, annoyed sigh. "What? Now I'm an asshole for paying attention when the shifty tour guide sneaks out and abandons everyone in here?"

"No," Diego said slowly, narrowing his eyes at Taylor. "I'm just  _ curious _ why you didn't bother to say anything  _ before now _ ." He added tightly.

"Why, would you have  _ listened _ to me?" Taylor snarked back sarcastically, meeting Diego's sulky glare with his one of his own. 

Diego sighed, his temper caving first. "C'mon," he said with a last, withering look. "Let's just… go see what she thinks. She knows this place best, afterall." He said, leading the way out the hotel doors again.

The tour guide was pacing in agitation, dust rising from her rapidly shuffling feet as she muttered to herself in an indecipherable babble. Taylor eyed her distrustfully from the back of the group. "Lila..?" Grace called tentatively. "Are you okay?"

Taylor severely doubted it, personally.

"Oh,  _ me _ ?" Lila squawked, laughing unconvincingly as she twisted her fingers in the hem of her shirt and plastered her familiar, false smile to her face. "I'm perfect! I bet this is absolutely  _ nothing _ to worry about!" She said, beaming a grin around the group which seemed to relax several of them, while Taylor merely snorted and rolled his eyes. "I'd bet this is just a fire alarm test… or-or maybe even a hotel wide picnic!"

Taylor yawned from his spot at the back of the group, safely several steps away from Diego's stompy feet. "Pretty sure I don't hear the alarm ringing," he said in feigned thoughtfulness. "And I think a uh,  _ picnic _ might require a few things… like, I dunno, people on the beach?" He suggested, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at the beach which some of the group had recently vacated.

Diego scowled at him. "Maybe she means a  _ different _ beach." He said, rolling his eyes when Taylor smiled innocently and lifted his shoulders.

" _ Pfft, _ yeah, okay Tour Guide Barbie," Jake snorted sarcastically, ignoring Taylor and Diego entirely, leaning against a marble pillar with a lopsided grin which did not meet his eyes. "Or hey! Maybe the  _ Care Bears _ came down and took everyone to Happy Happy Land!"

Taylor laughed, shrugging unapologetically when Diego shot him a sharp look. It might not have been Taylor's exact thoughts, but it was pretty close; and he couldn't help but find the pilots sarcastic outlook amusing.

"Jake, that's not helping." Sean scolded, glaring at the pilot angrily and balling his hands into fists at his sides.

"Not helping?" Jake scoffed, rolling his eyes and shaking his head in disgust. " _ You're  _ the ones playin' bloody story time. Only one o' ya with any sense is the friggin' antisocial, Boy Scout." He sneered, gesturing roughly toward Taylor at the back of the group.

Taylor's amusement at the pilot vanished, his expression darkening as the group parted, glancing at him with varying degrees of uneasiness. "What are you all looking at?" He demanded tetchily, scowling and flicking his hand at them all dismissively. " _ He's  _ talking, not  _ me _ . Leave  _ me _ out of whatever this is." He snarked. 

Jake's lip twitched with amusement, his clear eyes brightening as Taylor shot him a dark look for having drawn the groups attention to him. "Look, how 'bout gettin' some  _ real _ answers, huh?" He suggested lightly, spreading his palms as he looked at Sean with an innocent grin. "'Cause truth is… I ain't here to  _ help _ . I'm here to get  _ paid _ ; an' right  _ now _ ? Ain't nobody here to pay me."

Taylor looked away as Sean simmered in quiet fury for a brief pause, surveying the trees dubiously. "We're only gonna  _ get _ answers, if  _ someone _ around here shows some leadership…" he heard Sean say angrily, glancing back to see he had advanced several steps toward Jake. "Looks like  _ you're  _ not up for the task, so I guess we oughta find someone  _ else _ to step up." He sneered, looking down his nose at the pilot.

Jake scowled, pushing off from the marble pillar he'd been leaning against roughly as Taylor rolled his eyes and sighed tiredly.  _ A double dose of fragile masculinity, six o'clock.  _ He thought, snorting quietly as his lips twitched with private amusement.

"Ya toss a ball 'round an' think that qualifies ya to talk to  _ me _ 'bout bloody leadership?!" Jake demanded, heedless of the height difference between himself and Sean as he stormed over and scowled up at him.

"Taylor..!" Taylor glanced to his side as Diego nudged him, frowning at his friends arm as he retracted it, before lifting his gaze to his face and raising a brow at his nervous expression. "Taylor…  _ do _ something!"

Taylor blinked. "... why?" He asked blankly.

"Because I don't want to have to watch two hot guys beat the crap out of each other on the first day of what was supposed to be a magical getaway?!" Diego hissed, his eyes wide as he pleaded with him. "Dude, please, you know I hate fighting and… blood and…" he said, grimacing and lowering his gaze.

"One of your favourite shows was The Walking Dead." Taylor countered flatly, unconvinced.

"Dude, that's  _ zombies _ ! It's  _ differ _ ent!" Diego huffed in exasperation. " _ Please _ Taylor… real life violence is  _ not _ the same as a tv show!"

Taylor sighed irritably, shoving his luggage handle at Diego and reluctantly stomping forward. "Wha-?  _ Taylor _ -!" He ignored Diego's calls, striding over to Jake and Sean and grimacing as he lifted his hands and gave both a hard shove to the back.

" _ Ack! _ " They both gasped, Jake rubbing his forehead and Sean rubbing his chest as they turned in surprise to stare at Taylor.

"If you're both quite finished puffing your chests and preening, maybe you'll notice that this dumb, macho standoff is the only thing  _ not _ getting us anywhere." He said, stepping back from the both and folding his hands behind his back, clutching his hands in the back of his shirt and trying to wipe them discreetly as he scowled between the stunned pair.

"Whoa, hang on-" Sean protested, his brows raised in surprise at the unexpected treatment.

"Captain America here's tryin' to-" Jake countered at the same time, gazing at Taylor in disbelief as he tentatively touched the back of his head where Taylor had shoved him.

The pair did not seem to realise they were effectively drowning each other out. "I literally  _ do not care _ and I  _ don't  _ wanna hear it." Taylor said dismissively, talking over them both. He sighed irritably, running his fingers through his hair in agitation. "How about you cool your ego's,  _ shake hands _ and then get the  _ hell _ outta each others faces while you help figure this shit out?" He demanded waspishly.

Jake and Sean eyed each other warily, each seeming to think the other might have teeth in their palms, as they sized each other up before begrudgingly shaking hands. They let go  _ extremely _ quickly, much to Taylor's amusement. "Better?" He cooed in a sickly sweet voice.

Jake and Sean continued to eye each other suspiciously, but both nodded once at his sarcastic query. "Sure, whatever…" Jake muttered sullenly, finally turning his head and looking away from everyone, his brow furrowed and his cheeks drained a light pink beneath his stubble.

"Yeah," Sean replied hesitantly, now looking Taylor over thoughtfully. "We're good." He assured, offering him a tentative smile.

"Great," Taylor drawled, clapping his hands together and backing away, heading back to Diego and snatching his bag handle from him with a small, accusatory pout. "The power of friendship will guide you all." He sneered sarcastically, snorting with amusement at his own barb.

Diego suppressed a small smile, his expression mingled with both exasperation and amusement as he watched Taylor ultimately do as he'd asked… in a roundabout way. "Okay, so…" he said leadingly, raising a brow at Taylor questioningly. "What do we do now?" He pressed, when Taylor made no move to reply.

Taylor scowled, glancing around the group uneasily as they all waited to hear his reply. "Why the hell are you asking  _ me _ ?" He finally exploded, frustration gnawing at him. "Use some common sense, already!  _ He _ was in the bloody Navy! Why don't you ask  _ him _ ?!" He demanded, gesturing roughly toward Jake. "Divide and conquer, all that stupid shit… that's  _ literally  _ what he's been trained for!"

"Aw, shucks, Boy Scout," Jake chuckled, seeming amused by his outburst. "Ya remembered… an' here I thought ya didn't care." He said, grinning lopsidedly when Taylor shot him a dark look.

"I  _ don't. _ " He said firmly, narrowing his eyes before looking back at Diego with a frown. "And  _ you _ , stop  _ involving _ me." He grumbled petulantly, his irritated scowl fizzling away to a sulky pout as Diego grinned at him.

"Divide and conquer…" Lila murmured, tapping a finger against her lip thoughtfully. "Oh! You mean split up and search the hotel for clues? Hey, that's a pretty great idea, Taylor!" She giggled, as Taylor sighed and rolled his eyes, eager to discover where the brunette wished to search so he could go  _ anywhere _ else.

"Hmm… maybe I'll find something by the pool?" Grace suggested, as Taylor cringed and wrinkled his nose.

_ Almost _ anywhere else, he mentally conceded.

"The pool, huh?" Jake hummed thoughtfully, huffing a dry chuckle and flashing her a wink. Grace blushed, her fingers steepling as she looked down at them and bit her lip. "I like ya style… I'll go with Brain Trust." He said, glancing at Taylor as he passed and grinning when he pointedly sniffed and turned away.

"Yo, Craig, if things were normal…" Raj said to his friend, nudging him conspiratorially. "What would  _ we _ be doing right now?" He asked.

"Uh," Craig did not look overly pleased to have been put on the spot. Taylor assumed it was because  _ thinking _ was not one of his strongest points. "Eating?" He finally guessed.

"Exactly," Raj grinned and nodded eagerly, clapping his friend on the shoulder and not noticing the jocks sharp exhale of relief. "So  _ we'll  _ take the restaurant!" Craig brightened, high fiving Raj as he finally caught his friends meaning.

"Perfect!" Lila exclaimed cheerfully, beaming around the group as it began to divide itself into smaller sub-groups. She spotted Zahra standing alone and made a beeline toward her. "And where would  _ you _ like to look, Zahra?" She asked, oblivious of the dark look which Zahra sent her in response.

"Don't care." She replied flatly, shaking her head and scowling as eyed the other groups with obvious consideration.

"Well," Lila paused to think, tapping her finger to her lip thoughtfully. "Oh! How about we go check out the ballroom?!"

Zahra sighed, rolling her eyes and looking away from the group entirely. " _ Still _ don't care." She said in the same, lifeless drone.

Taylor shook his head, feeling strangely sympathetic toward Zahra and assuming it was simply because he couldn't imagine having to go traipsing around the hotel with someone so perky himself. He huffed quietly, turning to find Diego smirking at him sideways. "What?" He demanded, immediately falling into a frown. "What are you looking at me like that for?"

"You feel bad for Zahra, don't you?" Diego said knowingly, his shit eating grin only growing as Taylor scoffed loudly and looked away. "You know… being  _ friends  _ with people isn't such a bad thing, Taylor. It's okay to like people-"

"No." Taylor said firmly, shaking his head in such a decisive manner that Diego fell quiet. "It's not." Diego sighed, but seemed to sense that it wasn't worth pushing. Taylor cleared his throat and glanced around the three small groups quickly. "So, where are we going?" He asked with a resigned sigh, knowing Diego would make him  _ help _ more before the day was over.

When Diego didn't immediately answer, Taylor looked over at him, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at his sly grin. "Don't say it-" he warned too late.

"I think I'm gonna go check out the pool," Diego said nonchalantly, huffing a content sigh and smirking when Taylor groaned with exasperation.

" _ Diegooooo _ -" he complained pitifully, silently pleading with his eyes that his friend change his mind.

" _ Taylooooor _ -" Diego replied in a mocking, playful whine. "Dude, it will be good for you. I will be with mister pilot the Navy man, how much safer could I be?" He said, cocking his head expectantly.

Taylor pouted at him. "A lot. If you were with  _ me _ ." He complained petulantly, grumbling to himself as Diego laughed quietly.

"Hey, if you wanna come look around by the pool, be my guest…" Diego said lightly, smirking when Taylor sneered and looked away. "That's what I thought, Assbutt. So… where are  _ you _ going?" He asked innocently.

Taylor huffed and irritated breath, trying to decide which of his options was the lesser evil without Diego beside him. "I'll go… check out the restaurant, I guess." He sighed, hunching his shoulders and stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Maybe they'll have something edible at least." He grumbled.

Diego chuckled warmly. "Have fun, Assbutt…" he said cheerfully, winking as he stepped aside to join the group who were heading to the pool area. He hesitated, leaning close again and narrowing his eyes. " _ Be nice! _ " He hissed quickly, giving him a final warning look before hurrying away with the others.

" _ Be nice _ …" Taylor repeated sulkily, sticking his tongue out after his friend. His stomach dropped and he sucked his lip between his teeth, worrying the tender flesh as he silently wished for his friend to remain safe.  _ He's right, I suppose…  _ he told himself begrudgingly.  _ Other than me, Jake is probably the most prepared person to protect him _ .

He moved to follow after the group which Diego had forced him to choose, when a glance around the three departing groups and a quick headcount made him freeze on the spot. "The woman…" he murmured distractedly, narrowing his eyes and glancing around again, carefully checking each face to make certain. He grimaced, unable to deny that his initial assessment had proven correct; the mystery stowaway with the scar…  _ was gone _ .

"Hey, Taylor..!" Sean called, reluctantly drawing Taylor from his quiet epiphany. "You coming?" 

Taylor sighed and cast a final glance around the area suspiciously, before nodding glumly and shuffling along at the back of the small group. They headed back into the lobby, walking to a large board on the wall which offered directions through the large hotel. He blindly followed them up the stairs, listening to his music and not paying any attention whatsoever as to the flights of stairs they climbed or which floor they exited onto. It wasn't until they walked through the doors to Tortuga, the five star restaurant, that he finally sighed and lifted his eyes from his own feet.

"Wow, nobody here either, huh?" He said sourly, shrugging his shoulders and turning around again. "Guess we can go now, then…"

"Wait," Sean said, ignorant of Taylor's groan of frustration as he looked around curiously. "Maybe… someone left something we could use to find them?"

Taylor grunted, rolling his eyes and reluctantly weaving between some of the tables, deftly sliding across to the far side of the room; away from the rest of the group.

"Aw man, it's too bad…" Raj sighed dramatically, poking around a few of the tables. "I was hoping everyone in the hotel was just hiding to give us a party…" he said, deliberately widening his eyes and turning around the room slowly. " _ I guess I was wroooong _ ..?"

Taylor raised a brow, glancing around d dubiously as Raj paused to cock his head and listen, still tensed with anticipation as if he expected a host of people to jump out at him.

"Raj," Sean sighed despondently, glancing at Taylor awkwardly. "There's no surprise party." He said quietly, lifting his shoulder in silent apology.

" _ Dammit _ ! That leaves me with only one option..." Raj exploded, his expression clouding angrily as Taylor narrowed his eyes, deciding that perhaps his initial threat assessment had been too lenient. "Taylor!" He called, as Taylor blinked and raised his brows in surprise. "I need you to slap me!"

Taylor blanched, wrinkling his nose and stepping backward despite the fact that several tables between them both. "Me? Why  _ me _ ?!" He demanded, shaking his head as he grimaced and rubbed his chest, glancing at the others and gratefully noting that they hadn't noticed his unease. "I mean, why do you wanna be slapped, anyway?" He groused, frowning as he tried to calm the nervous jittering of his heart.

"Because I have  _ definitely _ had this dream before," Raj sighed, his anger fading away like it had never been. Taylor raised a brow, curious if his threat assessment might have been closer to accurate after all. "And I would  _ really _ like to wake up before the part where the pancakes come to life and start singing a Beyonce song…"

Taylor flicked his eyes over Raj curiously, uncertain if the man was serious or if there might be something strange in his system.  _ He  _ **_does_ ** _ smell kinda pungent _ , he thought, a shower of ice running down his spine as he quickly lowered his eyes to the floor and blinked in wide eyed horror.  _ Oh god, I can..? But, already? _ Panic gnawed at him, his heart pounding loud enough to drown out his music.

"Taylor?" Michelle called, frowning as she stepped towards him. "Are you okay? You look kind of like you're having a panic attack…" she said, reaching out as if to touch his arm.

Taylor recoiled like he'd been stung, scowling as he shuffled out of her reach. "I'm  _ fine _ ." He said, narrowing his eyes and glaring at each concerned face in turn. He flicked his eyes between Craig and Raj, who was still tensed in preparation of Taylor's awakening slap. "Make Craig do it!" He bit out in belated reply, folding in on himself and squirming uncomfortably beneath the others continuing looks.

Craig perked considerably, grinning broadly as he puffed out his chest. "I am  _ there _ !" He cheered gleefully.

"Uh… wait a secon-" Raj seemed to have second thoughts about his request now that Craig was the one in line to oblige him.

_ Thwack! _

Before he could complete his thought, Craig had wound up and backhanded him hard across the face. " _ Hrnnnn! _ " Raj gasped, blinking dazedly and rubbing his cheek as Taylor hid a small smirk, pleasantly distracted from his far  _ less  _ pleasant revelation. "O-okay..! This is  _ definitely _ not a dream!" He said, glancing at Craig with a hesitant, wide eyed look. "Uh… thankyou very much, Craig."

Craig beamed him a grin, clapping his hand to Raj's shoulder. "What  _ would _ you do without me?" He asked, as Raj continued to rub his now glowing cheek tentatively.

Taylor snickered, the amusing scene doing wonders to improve his mood. He glanced at Sean as he strolled among the tables slowly. "A lotta these people left behind their credit cards with their bill…" he said, frowning and shaking his head as he tentatively touched one of the credit cards with the tip of his finger, as if to make sure it was really  _ real. _ "Guess everyone took off in a hurry…"

" _ Pfft,  _ no shit, Football Head." Taylor snorted, quickly looking away when Sean threw him a withering look. He recalled Diego's parting comment that he  _ be nice _ and promptly bit his tongue to prevent himself from saying anything further.

" _ Ooooh _ …" Michelle cooed, providing a welcome distraction as she plucked up an abandoned menu and glimpsed through it with a grin. "This place must be absolutely  _ decadent _ ! I mean, just  _ look _ at those prices!" 

Taylor hummed, picking up a menu and browsing for himself briefly, before deciding that it was most  _ definitely _ overpriced. "Hey, Taylor!" Michelle continued, beaming a wide smile at him as he glanced over and raised a brow, curious why she would be addressing  _ him _ of all people. "We absolutely must come up here once the staff show up," she said, flicking her golden hair over her shoulder coyly. "The chef is actually a family friend of a family friend, so I  _ practically  _ know him."

Taylor frowned, glancing around behind him to make sure he wasn't standing in front of _another_ Taylor, one Michelle perhaps _knew_ and maybe even liked. He saw nobody stood behind him and chanced a look back at the blonde, who was still smiling at him warmly. "Uh…" he flicked his eyes toward Sean, who seemed incredibly invested in giving the nearest table a dark look. "Sure..?" He said uncertainly.

From her beaming smile and her friendly wink, Taylor assumed that Diego would soon be pleasantly surprised by his attempts to  _ be nice. _ He was certainly surprised himself.

Sean sighed heavily, shaking his head as Michelle breezed away, a delicate sway in her hips as she brushed past him. "Um," Taylor coughed, wrinkling his nose and pursing his lips. "Why do you guys make me feel like the rope in a tug of war game?" He muttered to himself, sighing irritably.

Sean stared out through the giant window, seeming not to have heard Taylor's complaints. A small favour which he was moderately pleased about. Taylor followed his gaze reluctantly, his mood darkening further as he gazed at the colossal volcano which loomed over the whole, cursed island.

"So, I'm not expert…" Sean said at last, frowning as Taylor glanced over at him quickly. "But uh, didn't they say that thing was supposed to be dormant?" He asked, scrunching up his face as he watched a massive plume of steam rise from the glowing crater at the peak. "Because  _ that _ does not look dormant."

"It's always been active." Taylor replied, shrugging his shoulder dismissively.

Sean glanced at him in surprise. "Really? I was sure they said…" he murmured, his brow furrowing in confusion as he peered out the window again. "Whoa!" He reeled back, his eyes widening in surprise. "Hey, so you see that?!"

Taylor stalked closer, narrowing his eyes as he gazed out the window himself. "See what?" He demanded, searching for whatever threat the football star had spotted.

"Riiiiight…" Sean said slowly, stepping closer to Taylor and moving as if to guide his arm, until Taylor flinched away and threw him a distrustful scowl. "Uh, sorry… it's just…  _ there _ !" He said, pointing with his own arm instead.

Taylor cast him a final dubious glance, before looking into the distance, where halfway up the volcano's massive slope; something glinted in the sunlight. "Huh… what  _ is _ that?" Taylor wondered aloud, cocking his head thoughtfully as he tried to puzzle out what the strange phenomena might be.

"At first glance I thought it could be someone signalling us," Sean said, shaking his head ruefully when Taylor snorted in quiet disdain. " _ Buuut _ , it's too regular." He said, grinning sideways at Taylor. "The light glints every second and a half or so…"

"So," Taylor considered carefully, looking back at Sean with a small frown. "It's something rotating." He guessed, nodding slowly and clicking his tongue thoughtfully. "I hate having to admit it but, good eye…  _ Sean _ ." He said, exhaling a puff of breath up into his short hair.

Sean raised a brow, a smile lighting his face slowly. "I think that's the first time I've heard you use my name," he chuckled quietly. "Think I'm actually missing Muscles right now…"

"Don't get used to it." Taylor warned as a small, begrudging smile twitched at his lips.

Sean chuckled quietly. "Honestly, I'm just kinda glad you think I'm good for something. I was starting to have doubts, heh…" he said, drawing in a deep breath as Taylor frowned and discreetly stepped away from the sports star, uneasy at the familiar banter. "So, do you think that's maybe where the guests all took off to?"

Taylor shook his head quickly but firmly. "There's nothing of interest up there which would empty this entire place of both guests  _ and staff _ ," he said, still frowning as he exhaled a long, deep breath thoughtfully. "But, it's still a thing we know now." He said, scratching his arm awkwardly as Sean hummed and turned to look around the restaurant again. 

Taylor fidgeted restlessly, his skin pricking at Sean's proximity, despite a tables length being between them again; and Taylor decided it was the  _ being nice _ which had made him feel so distinctly uncomfortable. "I'm gonna go… see what's happening in the ballroom!" He blurted abruptly, turning on his heel and storming toward the restaurant door.

"Oh, uh… good idea, Taylor," Sean called after him, clearly thrown by his strange behaviour, but deciding not to comment. "We'll catch up with you in the lobby when we finish checking this place out," he added, casting a meaningful look toward Raj, as he rummage through the kitchen fridges and cupboards eagerly.

"See you later, Taylor…" Michelle called as Taylor slipped through the door, beaming a bright smile after him as he frowned and shook his head.

_ People are all crazy… _ he thought, glancing at one of the signs which directed him to the ballroom; down a half dozen flights of stairs and down a long corridor.  _ What the hell is going on here..? La Huerta is a hundred shades of crazy at the best of times, but why would it choose to take it to the next level, of all times?  _ He puzzled over the mystery as he walked, humming along to his music beneath his breath and sighing as he felt the strange pricking of his skin begin to soothe, now that he'd managed to find a moments peace and solitude.

He paused outside the doorway to the ballroom, peeking in to see Quinn, Zahra and Lila all crowding around one of the tables. He sighed and shook his head, gathering his courage as he reluctantly strode through the door and inched into the room. "Hey…" he muttered, when Quinn looked up in surprise and beamed a smile at him.

_ What is it with the girls all smiling at me so much? _ He wondered sourly, flinching at the notion of them  _ liking _ him and flicking a glance at Zahra, relieved by her bland disinterest in his appearance.

"Taylor!" Quinn giggled enthusiastically, skipping toward him and folding her arms behind her back as she stopped a few steps away, noticing that he'd shrunk back a step at her approach. "How was the restaurant? Did you find anything?"

"Not really," he said, shifting his weight awkwardly as he cleared his throat. "No people there either, credit cards waiting to pay bills…" he said, shrugging and sagging with relief when Quinn moved away with a soft huff of dejection.

"Well, we've looked around a little, but there isn't a lot to find…" she admitted, puffing out her cheeks and biting her lip as she peeked over at him guiltily, gesturing for him to join them.

Reluctantly, Taylor shuffled closer, glancing around the three women uneasily. "So," he mumbled, pointing vaguely toward the unmistakable alter and aisle which was laid out at the end of the ballroom. "Someone got hitched?"

Zahra snorted derisively. "Oh joy, we can all relax. Taylor has come to state the obvious." She drawled, clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth and winking as she aimed a finger gun at him and pulled an imaginary trigger. "Dunno  _ how _ we would've coped without that."

Taylor's lip twitched, his eyes flicking over the woman in something which could  _ almost _ be labelled as curious. "You like being a jerk, huh?" He mused thoughtfully.

Zahra's eyes lit with feigned wonder, her whole face brightening as she smirked at him. "Wow, two in a row!" She gasped in a mocking tone, winking at him slyly. "You're on a roll."

Taylor rolled his eyes, snorting quietly and wondering distantly if he was half so amusing when he was being an asshole to people. The thought made him frown, his eyes lowering to his feet as he debated whether finding  _ anyone _ amusing was a sign that perhaps his control was slipping.

"What could've happened here?" Lila sighed sadly, her perky smile long gone when Taylor flashed a brief glance toward her. "Everything's perfectly intact. The champagne's poured, the flowers arranged…"

Quinn nodded sympathetically, seeming similarly downcast as the brunette. "Just no people." She murmured, shivering as she looked around the carefully decorated room sadly

Zahra scoffed noisily. "Maybe the bride realized that the institute of marriage is a joke and high tailed it outta here?" She suggested with a small, self amused snicker.

Taylor felt a grin tug at his lips and viciously squashed it, turning around to peer around the extravagant decorations as he concentrated on the thud of his music. "Marriage? A joke?!" He heard Lila gasp, rolling his eyes at the horror he could hear in her tone. She spluttered indignantly for a moment, before seeming to latch onto Taylor as some sort of lifeline. "Taylor! You don't think that, do you?" She all but pleaded, as Taylor turned with a disinterested sigh.

"I think weddings like this are nothing but a sham." He said frankly, lifting a shoulder unapologetically when Lila yelped as if he'd just burnt her. He gestured roughly toward a table, his brow furrowing in disgust. "It's just people wasting money, either trying to impress their shallow friends or, even worse, doing something just because society told them they  _ had _ to." He said, waving his hand dismissively.

"Oh,  _ nice _ !" Zahra cackled, grinning broadly at Taylor as she extended her hand toward him, holding it in the air expectantly.

Taylor raised a brow, his eyes flicking between her hand and her face uncertainly.  _ What is it with people trying to high five me? _ He wondered idly, before Zahra shrugged indifferentlty and lowered her hand again. 

"I  _ knew _ I was gonna like you," she said decisively, examining him with her sharp eyes as if seeing him for the first time. "And I don't like  _ anybody. _ " She added, clicking her tongue thoughtfully before shrugging again and reaching for a bottle of white wine on the nearest table and popping the cork with a grin. 

"Zahra!" Lila gasped, glancing around the ballroom nervously as Zahra poured herself a glass of wine. "That doesn't belong to you!" She hissed quickly.

"So?" Zahra scoffed, ignoring her entirely. "You gonna report me? Heh, to  _ who _ exactly?" She sniggered, shaking her head and setting her glass to one side, before pouring another. "Last I checked, this is still a vacation."

Zahra grinned smugly, setting the bottle down on the table with a pointed look toward Lila, picking up both glasses and offering one to Taylor. "How about it, Taylor?" She asked, waving ththe glass before his face temptingly.

Taylor hesitated momentarily, before tentatively accepting the glass.  _ What the hell hard could it do  _ **_now_ ** _?  _ He thought, snorting quietly as he clinked the glass lightly against Zahra's and they took a small sip together. "Huh," he hummed, pursing his lips and running his tongue over the roof of his mouth thoughtfully. "I didn't realise wine could actually taste  _ good. _ " He admitted, surprised by the pleasant, subtle flavours.

He was more of a spirits drinker usually; and even then, only when he and Diego were safely barricaded in their room.

"Seriously." Zahra agreed, practically beaming as she eyed her glass hungrily. "That's some genuinely good stuff… they must have spent outta control money for this." She said, shaking her head and snorting derisively. 

"Oh, wow! Let me see that!" Quinn gasped, snatching the bottle up from the table as Taylor and Zahra continued to sip from their glasses. "Oh my… look at this label!" She choked, raising her wide eyes to Taylor's, as he blinked indifferently. "This wine was from  _ nineteen twenty two _ !" She spluttered, as Taylor hummed and eyed his glass thoughtfully. 

"Zahra!" Lila choked, the blood leaving her face rapidly as she stared in horror at the now open bottle. "You just uncorked, like, an  _ eight hundred dollar _ bottle of wine!"

Zahra burped in response to the tour guides indignant cry. "Meh," she crawled, draining her glass and setting it down on the table. "Wasn't  _ that _ good." She said with a shrug.

Taylor snorted, covering his nose with his hand incase he spat wine over anyone. Not that he cared of course, but he would never hear the end of it if Diego found out later. When he'd recovered himself, Taylor took another sip of wine, looking around the other tables as he shook his head gently. He paused, his brow furrowing and his glass lowering from his lips as something caught his eye. "Huh," he hummed, checking some of the other tables to confirm his thoughts. "Every bottle of wine on  _ every _ table is pre-nineteen twenty four." He said, gesturing around the room for the others to check for himself.

Quinn gasped, staring around he other tables in disbelief. "But… but who would spend that much?!" She wondered aloud, shaking her head in awe.

"The answer, as for most baffling questions," Zahra drawled, sighing as she also shook her head, though her own expression was one of disgust. "Is  _ crazy rich people. _ "

Taylor fought off the small laugh he felt bubble in his throat, frowning at the notion of Zahra making him laugh not only once; but even  _ twice. _ He caught Quinn eyeing the bottle longingly, her fingers stroking the edge of the label gently. His lips twitched into a devious smirk. "Quuuuinn…" he teased, wiggling his almost empty glass under her nose. " _ Quuuiiinn… _ you know you wanna…" he snickered, as Quinn blushed furiously.

"Well, I mean…" she mumbled, hesitating and biting her lip, before giggling and breaking out in a bright, joyful grin. "Oh, what the hell? Might never get the chance again, right?" She said, giggling again as she put her lips to the tip of the bottle and took a large sip. " _ Ooooh, wow! _ " She gasped, her eyes bright with delight when she pulled the bottle away again.

Taylor sniggered, grinning as Lila frowned and glanced around nervously. He tapped his glass to the bottle, before draining what remained of his drink and setting the empty glass on the table beside Zahra's. "Well, I can see you have a lot to do," he said, gesturing at the other tables with a smirk, as Zahra snorted quietly and Quinn giggled. "So I will just… leave you to that." He said, raising his palms and backing away carefully.

"See you in the lobby, Taylor!" Quinn called as he turned to leave, his face twisting into a confused scowl as he made his way out into the hall.

"... whatever," he heard Zahra sneer, before the door closed between them. "But I'm taking the booze…"

Taylor shook his head, making his way back to the lobby with the help of various signs throughout the hotel.  _ What's with all this..? _ He wondered, struggling to find the words to adequately explain the strange feelings which he felt forming within him.  _ This is all Diego's fault. Him and his stupid  _ **_be nice_ ** _ … and now I'm gonna end up paying for it. _ He sighed, running his fingers through his hair as he trotted down the last stair and looked around.

"First to return, huh?" He thought aloud, frowning as he stuffed his hands into his pockets and leaned against a wall to wait.  _ Least I might get the chance to finally listen to some of this… _ he thought sulkily, looking down at the music player clipped to the neck of his shirt before closing his eyes and allowing the pulse to overwhelm him.

As the music coursed through him, Taylor began to fidget. Firdt he tapped his shoes to the floor, then his fingers began to pluck at the inside of his pockets, until he took them out and instead toyed with the hem of his t-shirt, or drummed then against his hip.  _ Where the hell is Diego? _ He wondered irritably, glancing toward the doors which were clearly labelled:  **POOL** .  _ He should have been here by now, hell, everyone should be… but  _ **_him_ ** _ especially.  _ He thought, tensing as another thought occured to him.

_ The pool is outside… what if- _ Taylor was already in motion before he had the chance to finish his thought, his heart drumming an odd, staccato beat as he jogged through the lobby to the pool area exit; taking a deep breath as he mentally prepared himself and finally made himself push through the doors. 

Immediately, Taylor lifted his hand to protect his eyes from the bright sunshine, which vastly contradicted the shaded areas he'd previously been searching for the missing staff and guests. He looked around the area, noticing three figures at the far end of the crystal clear water.

He grimaced, eyeing the pool dubiously and pressing himself to the wall as he reluctantly inched his way around it. Halfway along the wall he paused, cocking his head and lowering his eyes to a hammock between himself and the pool, raising his brows in surprise as he saw Jake; swinging gently and snoring softly.

_ Why is he always asleep whenever I come across him?  _ He wondered, frowning as his temperature rose slight and settling a hand on his stomach, when it seemed to roll over suddenly.  _ Was that nausea _ ? He hoped so, because anything else was unacceptable. 

"Ah, Taylor… I see you've noticed our  _ deadweight _ ." The albino sneered, noticing Taylor against the wall, peering intently at the pilot.

Taylor blinked, looking up guiltily and clearing his throat quietly, edging another step along the wall as he heard a loud yelp of surprise. " _ Taylor _ !" Diego gasped racing over to join him and hovering just out of reach of him. "What the hell are you  _ doing _ ? You don't have to-"

"Shut up, Diego." Taylor muttered, wrinkling his nose as his brow grew hot and clammy, his chest heavy as he glanced behind his friend uneasily. "How long has he been..?" He asked by way of distraction, gesturing to where Jake was still swinging softly in his hammock, practically within Taylor's reach.

"Huh, oh… pretty much the whole time." Diego admitted distractedly, frowning as he watched Taylor pause and lean his head against the wall, concentrating intently on the simple task of taking a deep breath.

"Yes, indeed… for all his big fuss about finding answers, he's done nothing except briefly; and I  _ mean _ briefly, check the bar and then laze in that blasted hammock," the albino snarked, his piercing blue eyes blazing with fury.

"Hrn," Taylor hissed, gritting his teeth as he risked another glance at the pilot. His lips twitched briefly and without thinking, he reached forward and grasped the edge of the hammock, tugging it toward him and holding it a moment, before releasing it with a  _ ping _ !

" _ Oof _ !" Jake hissed as he was unceremoniously rolled out the side of the hammock, landing hard on the pavement around the pool and scowling as he bounced up into a crouch. He blinked in surprise upon noticing Taylor, straightening slowly as he looked him over curiously.

Taylor grimaced, shuffling another step along the wall. "Get up and help everyone look." He demanded waspishly, throwing the pilot a reproachful glare. "If  _ I  _ have to, then so do  _ you _ ." He insisted, sniffing and averting his eyes to Diego.

Jake scoffed and dusted off his jacket with a small pout. "Why don'tcha try startin' with a  _ please, _ next time?" He huffed, reluctantly moving away to begin searching, while the pale man who liked big words hid a smirk by turning away.

"There you go," he hissed at Diego, gasping as he finally made it around the pool and quickly darted all the way to the fence, putting as much distance between himself and the pool as physically possible. "You're welcome."

Diego frowned. "Did you pick a fight?" He asked, running his eyes over Taylor for signs of a fight.

"What? No…" Taylor replied defensively, scowling at him irritably. "You told me to  _ be nice _ so I was  _ being nice _ ." He grumbled petulantly, kicking the poolside pavement with his scowl still locked on his face.

"Taylor, the amount of times I have  _ asked _ you to be nice and you've  _ actually _ complied? I could count them on  _ one _ finger…" Diego said pointedly, lifting his index finger in front of Taylor's face and waggling it disapprovingly. "What did you do?"

"What do you mean,  _ what did I do _ ?" Taylor demanded haughtily, narrowing his eyes at Diego in disbelief. "I didn't  _ do _ anything! Except, what you  _ told _ me!" He huffed sulkily, wincing and beginning to scratch the back of his hand roughly. "I helped the Raiders of the Lost Kitchen and then I even helped crash the Wedding That Never Was." He muttered quickly, frowing down at himself as he felt his skin prickle and itch.

" _Urgh_ …" he growled, his chest rumbling as his expression darkened further, his hands not quick enough to follow the pricking trail over his body. "You see this is exactly why I _hate_ _being_ _nice_! Look! I'm practically _allergic_!" He hissed at Diego, who was trying hard not to laugh at his irritably scratching.

"Taylor… Taylor!" He finally relented with a soft chuckle, smiling as he deliberately, very gently and very slowly, laid his hands over Taylor's. "Taylor,  _ stop _ . It's okay… you're okay." He said soothingly.

Taylor was not so convinced, his heart rate seemed to be accelerated and his breathing too, was laboured. His skin was all but on  _ fire _ from how badly he itched and he was concerned at just  _ how _ all of this was going to affect him in the long run. 

"Hey, how about, after we get our rooms; we find ourselves some nice bottles of Vodka, Rum or Whiskey…" Diego suggested, listing all of Taylor's favourites to tempt him. "And we get  _ so _ drunk?"

Taylor looked at his friend, wrinkling his nose at the beaming smile he wore. "Stop looking so pleased with yourself… I'm only in this state because you made me  _ be nice _ ! If you think just, getting me drunk is gonna make up for-"

"Taylor… I'm really proud of you." Diego said quietly, stunning Taylor into silence, his music thudding softly in his ears. "Don't look so surprised… you did it!" He whispered excitedly, his gentle eyes bright with joy and a dash of sympathy. "You  _ actually _ did what I asked, even though you hate people and socializing and… and I just, I'm really grateful that you  _ tried _ , Taylor."

Taylor grimaced, easing his hands out from Diego's with a small grunt. Diego lifted his own hands and took a step back, sensing his friends discomfort and allowing him some space. "There's an okay wine in the ballroom…" he muttered, avoiding his best friends gaze as he looked around the area, narrowing his eyes when he noticed Grace was crouched beside the fence. "You'd probably like it." He said glancing quickly at Diego before looking back at Grace, watching as she surreptitiously slipped something up her jumper.

_ Hmm… always the quiet ones. _ He thought darkly, watching Grace rise and discreetly glance around, before moving away to examine a lush tree which seemed to have grown  _ into  _ the fence.

"Thanks, Taylor… we can grab a couple on the way up." Diego said cheerfully, sighing as he looked Taylor over. "I never thought you would come out here, not in a million years…" he admitted, shaking his head as he ran his eyes over Taylor's hunched shoulders and his clear discomfort. "But, and not that I'm any less impressed..! But, why did you?"

Taylor shot him a disbelieving look. "You weren't in the lobby, what the hell did you expect me to do?" He asked incredulously. 

"Uh, wait?" Diego replied, grinning goofily as Taylor snorted and rolled his eyes.

"I  _ did  _ wait… and then I realised  _ you _ were the group that came outside, so you were the most likely to be in danger if anything happened!" He explained in a rush, scowling at Diego petulantly as he rolled his own eyes.

"Dude, I've told you;  _ nothing  _ is going to happen!" He insisted with a familiar, weary sigh.

Taylor scoffed. "Tell  _ that  _ to all your missing guests and staff," he sneered, causing Diego to pause before arguing further. "Diego…  _ please _ just trust me? I  _ know _ what I'm talking about here, this place  _ isn't  _ safe!"

"Taylor, I do trust you," Diego said, repeating the words without thought as Taylor bristled at his negligent tone. "But you don't think  _ anywhere  _ is safe, anyway… why would the hotel be any different?"

"I'm not talking about the stupid  _ hotel _ !" Taylor exploded, his temper flaring as he quickly hid his hands behind his back and dug his fingernails into his palms. "I'm talking about the whole  _ stupid _ island! I  _ told  _ you as soon as you got that stupid letter!" He hissed, glowering at Diego reproachfully. "Why do you  _ never _ listen to me?!"

"Because literally  _ everything _ is bad to you!" Diego hissed, scowling right back at him. "Taylor, if I listened to you I would  _ never do anything _ !"

Taylor held Diego's angry glare for an extended pause, before they both looked away together, each sighing heavily for different reasons.

"This is incredible!" Grace's awed sigh caught Taylor's attention, his eyes flitting briefly to where he knew she had stashed  _ something _ in her sweater, before flitting to the tree she was examining; the one which had grown right  _ through _ the fence. "Look at the way this has wrapped around the metal! How could it possibly have grown so  _ fast _ ?"

The albino looked over curiously, casting the tree a perfunctory glance before focusing on the woman instead. "It's the soil of the island," he said with a dismissive shrug. "Even the first humans to ever come here, noted its extreme conduciveness to plant growth." He said, sounding remarkably like a text book. 

Taylor rolled his eyes. The first humans on  _ this _ island had been so terrified that they ran back to their ships screaming. Personally, he thought they were wiser than the  _ current  _ visitors to the island.

Grace watched the tall, pale man approach her with David attention, her dark cheeks dusting with a soft blush. "That's why it's always been called La Huerta…  _ The Garden _ ." He explained stoically.

"Oh…  _ wow _ ," Grace sighed, looking around herself in awe, the new information having apparently given the island even more beauty to her.

Taylor thought the very idea was ridiculous. 

"If you're expecting me to apologise for knowing things, I-" the albino began, his posture tense and his pale face colouring red as he glared at Grace, who blinked up at him in surprise.

"What? No..! I'm  _ impressed _ !" She insisted, offering a shy smile to the tall man. "I'm glad there's someone else here that I can talk to about things like this…" she said happily.

Taylor was mildly amused by the articulate man's babbling, his lips twitching as he watched his pale face stain with red. "I, uh…  _ ahem _ , what I er, mean to say is, uh…" he spluttered, his embarrassment morphing to fury as he tried and failed to process the genuinely kind comment. "Don't flatter yourself, Grace… I sincerely doubt  _ you'd _ be capable of holding a conversation with  _ me _ ." He sneered imperiously.

"Huh?" Grace looked away, appearing not to have heard as she examined some flowers nearby.

Taylor looked over at the poolside bar, as an amused chuckle drifted over. "Heh, 's funnier than watchin' a train wreck ina slow motion, ain't it?" Jake drawled, grinning lopsidedly at Taylor when he noticed him looking over.

"Thankyou, but I don't believe I need the input of the island  _ slacker _ on this," the pale man said stiffly, glaring at the floor as he kicked it with the toe of his shoe.

"Hey, don't knock it 'til ya tried it, Draco," Jake chuckled, unaffected by the tall mans temper rounding on him. "Might find ya like the life o' leisure." He said, winking at Taylor conspiratorially. 

Taylor looked away, refusing to partake in whatever nonsense banter the pilot seemed intent on initiating. He glanced at Diego, who was watching the pair argue with amusement.  _ Why _ couldn't he understand? All Taylor had ever wanted was to protect him from the exact kind of situation he now found himself in… what was so bad about that?

Diego shook his head at the bickering pair, looking back at Taylor and sobering slightly. "Hey," he said, hesitating and seeming to search for the right words, before giving up with a small sigh. "Come on… let's get you inside. You're not looking so good out here." He said, extending his arm towards the hotel.

Taylor scowled at the thought of inching his way across the pool area again, but he couldn't deny that being probably  _ anywhere _ else might make him feel better at this point. 

"Come on, everyone… I think it's time we headed back," Diego called, gathering the small group together again. "Let's hope the others found something," he added, hovering a short distance from Taylor and discreetly providing a barrier between him and the pool; allowing him to travel back to the hotel at a much quicker pace.

Taylor shot him a grateful look; and for the time being, their argument was forgotten. They were the last group to return to the lobby, the others already talking in excited voices about their discoveries. 

"From the restaurant, we saw this  _ thing _ on the volcano!" Craig said loudly, his eyes wide in his awe and excitement. "It was like,  _ there _ and then  _ not _ !" He said, opening and closing his palm as if to emphasise his words.

"Heh, well, out by the pool, Aleister totally  _ freaked _ when Grace was nice to him!" Diego explained, a wide grin on his face as he snickered at the memory.

"We basically stumbled onto a wedding right out of the roaring twenties!" Quinn said, shaking her head in wonder.

"Eh, they had good wine, at least." Zahra added blandly, taking another sip from a bottle in her hand.

Taylor looked away, wandering away from the group as they all talked over each other about their various findings, or lack thereof. He noticed he wasn't the only one letting the others squabble among themselves, recognizing the albino standing alone and glaring thoughtfully at a painting on the wall. Aleister, he remembered from Diego's insert, upon returning to the lobby.

Warily, Taylor edged around him, glancing at the picture for himself and blinking in surprise.  _ The Hydra..! _ He thought, eyeing the towering depiction of a smugly smirking man with an impeccably well kept goatee.  _ What does  _ **_he_ ** _ have to do with..? _

He glanced at the tall, pale man curiously, sensing a simmering rage within him. "Hey, uh… Aleister?" He said quietly, wincing at the familiarity of using the mans name when he had no clue who the hell he actually was. "What's with the self absorbed asshole..?" He asked, tipping his chin toward the painting.

Aleister blinked and turned toward him, before chuckling quietly. "Ah, Taylor… you're rather adept at gauging others, aren't you?" He noted, as Taylor flushed and shifted his weight guiltily. "This,  _ self absorbed asshole _ , as you so correctly deduced… is Everett Rourke. He's the CEO of Rourke International," the pale man explained, as Taylor frowned at the floor and listened intently. "... and the man who built this hotel. Our  _ esteemed benefactor _ , if you wil-"

" _ What _ ?" Taylor demanded, snapping his head up and gazing at Aleister in wide eyed shock. " _ He _ built this..?  _ He  _ did this? He  _ brought _ us _ - _ "

"He chose the winners of the competition, yes." Aleister replied, raising a brow as Taylor looked away vacantly, his breath quickening as he raised and hand and thread his fingers into his hair, tugging at the short strands distractedly. "You seem disconcerted… are you quite alright?"

Taylor swallowed thickly, his eyes unfocused as they darted around the room uneasily. How could he have been so stupid? Of course the  _ Hydra _ was behind the competition! How did he never connect those dots?  _ I never knew his name… I never even considered-! _ He silently berated himself, furious at his lack of thought on the matter.  _ I  _ **_knew_ ** _ this whole stupid setup was dodgy… why the hell did I let Diego come here?! _

"Taylor?" Aleister called, reaching as if to touch Taylor's shoulder, but quickly retreating when Taylor hissed and flinched away. "Apologies… are you-?"

"I'm fine." Taylor snapped, shaking his head quickly and trying to calm the nervous hitch of his heart. "Just… I thought I saw him somewhere once." He said, gesturing to the towering painting before them. "Threw me off…"

"Ah, yes… I suppose that's understandable." Aleister mused thoughtfully, his sharp eyes lingering on Taylor a heartbeat longer, before returning to the smug countenance of the man in the painting. "Most people have seen him,  _ somewhere _ … visionary, genius, conqueror of every industry…" he sneered, his lip curling in distaste as an aura of hatred rippled outward from him, strong enough to make Taylor shiver. "Hmpf… I still think he looks a fool." He concluded, shaking his head and turning away.

His arm grazed Grace's shoulder as she passed him and he quickly reached as if to steady her, before dropping his arm as if he'd been burnt. "Do watch where you're  _ going _ , Grace!" He demanded hotly, storming away before she could utter an apology.

Taylor stared hard at the floor, his hands trembling as he tried to keep from himself from imploding there on the spot.  _ Okay… well, there's nothing I can do about the Hydra bringing us here now, _ he thought with a resigned sigh, swallowing heavily as he looked across the room at Diego, who was laughing with the others at something Raj was explaining.  _ The only thing I can do; is figure out  _ **_why_ ** _ he brought us here… _

"Taylor?" Grace's timid voice snapped him out of his turmoil, his eyes snapping to her so quickly that she started in surprise. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you… I just, I wondered if we could talk for a second?"

"Why?" Taylor demanded, still uneasy about his unpleasant discovery. "You don't even know me." He said frankly.

Grace winced, but conceded the point gracefully. "No, but… you just, seem like someone I can trust." She admitted quietly, blushing as she tapped her fingertips together nervously.

_ Great _ , Taylor thought sourly, sighing as he ran his hands through his hair in frustration.  _ Now I have people thinking I'm friendly  _ **_and_ ** _ trustworthy. This is  _ **_all_ ** _ Diego's fault. _ He simmered for a moment, before reluctantly folding his arms over his chest and angling himself away from the woman, frowning at her sideways. "Well? What is it?" He asked stiffly, eyeing Grace warily, as if she might bite him should he relax for so much as a second.

Grace hesitated, seeming to sense his discomfort. "I… uh, n-never mind…" she mumbled awkwardly, her dark curls bouncing around her face as she shook her head quickly. "I'm sorry, I-"

Taylor sighed as she backed away from him, her hand dropping to grip the hem of her sweater as she glanced around the rest of the group almost fearfully. He recalled her odd behaviour outside, the object which he knew was hidden beneath her sweater; and reluctantly lowered his arms. "Grace," he called after her quietly, his eyes examining her thoughtfully as she turned back to him warily. "If you have a… a  _ secret _ ," he said pointedly, glancing at the others briefly, before returning his eyes to her surprised gaze. "It's okay to keep it."

Grace blinked, seeming taken aback by the confession. Taylor knew  _ he _ was certainly surprised by it, but he was quickly coming to realisation that this  _ vacation _ was only just getting started with the surprises. "It… it is?" Grace asked dubiously, searching his face as she hovered indecisively. 

Taylor huffed an exasperated sigh, nodding as he frowned at her. "You… seem like a good person." He said awkwardly, glancing away as his frown deepened briefly. "I'm sure if it's anything relevant, then you'll tell the others… when you're ready."

Grace hesitated, buting her lip uncertainly before stepping closer to Taylor, much to his discomfort; and reaching under her sweater. "I… I found this out by the pool," she said quietly, glancing over at the others before looking back at Taylor and extending her hand slowly. "It was right by the fence… and the bars there were, well, they were all  _ twisted _ ."

Taylor stared in horrified disbelief, as Grace unfurled her fingers to reveal what was quite clearly a giant tooth.  _ That..! _ He shivered violently, backing away as he began hyperventilating in earnest. 

"It's almost a foot long," Grace was explaining, heedless of Taylor's meltdown opposite her. "So, whatever it came from… it must be  _ big _ ." She sighed and shuddered lightly herself. "I didn't want to share it with the others because I was afraid some people would be scared by it… the same way  _ I  _ was."

Taylor couldn't answer the shy confession, hell, he couldn't even  _ see  _ Grace anymore; he was somewhere distant, far away from the Celestial, from Diego, from  _ everything _ he knew… somewhere dark, hot and dreadful. "But you made me realise that we're all in this together, so everyone  _ should _ know…" Grace's voice was distant, a dull echo, but it was enough to startle Taylor out of his shock. 

" _ No _ !" He gasped, stumbling back to the wall and shaking his head as the room, the people and the  _ noise _ all filtered back into place around him.

"Taylor?" Grace called, concern in her gentle eyes as she stepped toward him, tooth still in hand.

"Get that thing away from me!" He rasped, flinging himself further away from her as his throat tightened around a scream.

"I… oh, I-I'm sorry…" Grace said, biting her lip and quickly stepping back, turning toward the others uncertainly. "Maybe I…"

"Go show them, hide it, throw it away, burn it, whatever you want; just… just take it the hell away from  _ me _ !" Taylor all but pleaded, his body racked with trembles and shivers of disgust and dismay.

Grace nodded and reluctantly inched away, slowly heading over to the group and hesitating with a final glance at Taylor, before moving closer to show them her find.

_ If it was inside, then at some point… _ he thought distantly, his eyes glazing over and growing unfocused as a thick, choking sense of terror overwhelmed him.

"No way," Jake's firm denial cut through Taylor's growing haze of fear. He glanced over, his eyes slowly refocusing upon the others as they clustered around the frightening tooth, where the pilot was shaking his head. "Ain't nothin' with teeth  _ that _ size these days… 's gotta be some sorta fossil, right?"

Taylor almost laughed as hysteria bubbled in his throat like bile, desperately wishing the pilots claim to be true. He watched the group fidget awkwardly, nobody wanting to comment further on the strange discovery.

"So," Sean cleared his throat, looking around them all in dismay. "After all this… we're saying we  _ still _ have bonuses where the guest and the staff went?" He queried, raising a brow when nobody seemed to want to confirm his statement.

"All we have is more questions…" Quinn finally murmured, pouting as Sean's shoulders slumped in defeat. Silence hung over them like a thick, heavy blanket. Taylor frowned, looking around curiously as he heard quiet footsteps enter through the front door.

"So?" Zahra finally sighed, glancing around the group distrustfully. "What the hell do we do now?" She asked, setting her empty wine bottle in a trash can.

"You go to bed." A new voice answered. Taylor narrowed his eyes as the group dispersed enough for him to spot the strange woman with the scar, who seemed to have a tendency for evasion. "Night is falling. You should all get some rest." She said matter of factly, looking around the faces staring at her in disbelief with a look that Taylor recognized easily as  _ assessing _ .

"Estela!  _ There _ you are! Oh, thank goodness!" Lila breathed a heavy sigh of relief, her shoulders slumping as she stared at the mysterious woman. "Where on earth have you been?!"

The woman, Estela, shrugged dismissively. "Looking around, same as you." She replied evasively.

"And?" Michelle asked eagerly, a distrustful lilt to her tone. "Did you  _ find _ anything?"

Estela licked the blonde with a distrustful glare, before looking away again quickly. "Nothing that matters to  _ you _ people." She said dismissively.

"Maybe you should reconsider that stand point." Taylor said firmly, narrowing his eyes when the brunette whirled toward him. "I, for one, am not  _ with _ , as you say;  _ these people _ … so why don't you tell me what you found?" He asked tightly, his teeth clicking with the force of his repressed fury.

Estela examined him thoughtfully, seeming to recognize the aura of calm certainty which Taylor exuded. "... we've all got secrets." She said at last, turning and vaulting over the concierge desk without hesitation. She quickly snatched a key from the wall, before glancing back at him and fixing him with a pointed look. "Like I said… night is coming. I suggest you get some rest." She said, narrowing her eyes at him briefly, before glancing at the rest of the group. "You're gonna  _ need _ it." She warned sinisterly.

Abruptly, she turned and disappeared around the corner, leaving the group in stunned, confused silence. "Okay, I'll bite…" Sean said thickly, shaking his head and scratching his cheek slowly. "What the  _ hell _ was that supposed to mean?"

Craig clapped his team mate on the shoulder with a grin. "Think she meant it's night time, bro…" he chuckled conspiratorially, as if he were sharing the punchline to an amusing joke.

"Well, it  _ is _ getting late…" Lila conceded with a frown, before offering an awkward smile to the group. "Well, we'll want to be ready to greet everyone when they get back from, uh… wherever!" She giggled with false brightness, as Taylor rolled his eyes. "Please take your assigned room key from behind the desk, and-"

" _ Assigned? _ " Zahra sneered, smirking at the tour guide ominously. "Ha, good one." She scoffed, ignoring the keys on the desk entirely and reaching up onto the wall, snagging one shaped like a Queen's chess piece from a peg. "I'm taking a penthouse suite. Hotel's empty after all, right?" She said, daring Lila to deny her, before sauntering away to the elevator.

Taylor watched the others hesitate, before filtering forward kne by one, each choosing a flashy key from the wall and casting the tour guide an apologetic look as they hurried past her. He scowled when he noticed Jake watching him from the opposite wall, scrutinizing him curiously before smirking and winking at him.

"Don't mind if I do," he drawled, leaning across to snag himself a key which was shaped like a wolf's head. "Gonna upgrade ya digs, Boy Scout?" He asked curiously, rolling back into his former lazy lounge against the wall.

Taylor frowned, waiting until the others had trickled away, leaving him alone with Diego and the nosey pilot. "What do you care?" He asked, pushing away from the wall and taking a moment to make sure he could keep his balance, before reluctantly shuffling over, his shoulders hunched and his hands in his pockets.

"Jus' a 'lil friendly curiosity," Jake countered easily, seeming unaffected by Taylor's hostility. "Maybe I wanna toss a coupla stink bombs in ya room sometime, payback for the rude wake ups ya keep givin' me."

"Maybe you shouldn't keep sleeping in stupid places," Taylor snorted despite his bad mood, rolling his eyes as his lip twitched at the memory of rolling the pilot out of his appropriated hammock.

"Taylor, can you just pick a room key already?" Diego sighed, though his eyes flicked curiously between Jake and his friend. "I wanna go take a look at mine already…" he whined pitifully.

Taylor grimaced at the reminder that they would be so far apart, especially in such a suspicious and potentially dangerous environment. "I could just-"

"You are  _ not _ sleeping on my floor." Diego said firmly. "Or on the couch, or anywhere at all in  _ my _ rooms. Pick a key." He said in a very final tone.

Taylor sniffed, ignoring Jake's insatiably curious look and turning to pout at the keys. He reached toward the keys on the desk, before noticing a key shaped like a tree on the penthouse suite wall. He hesitated, before grabbing the key and looking at it in his palm. 

"Okay,  _ finally _ !" Diego sighed, already turning to pick up his things and heading toward the elevator. "Come  _ on _ , Taylor!" He called over his shoulder, clearly excited to see his room.

Taylor sighed and reluctantly grabbed his bag handle, trundling after Diego and flashing Jake an annoyed look when he smirked and fell into step beside him. 

"Separation issues?" He asked innocently, grinning broadly when Taylor's only response was to scowl and pointedly step around Diego to put as much distance as the elevator allowed between them.

The elevator rose too slowly for Taylor's liking. He made a mental note to take the stairs in future, fidgeting awkwardly as Diego and Jake stood in  _ they _ clearly felt was a comfortable silence. As soon as the doors opened he sprang forward, his suitcase clattering loudly behind him, as he raced down the hallway.

"He uh, he doesn't like enclosed spaces…" he heard Diego cough awkwardly, chancing a glance back to see his friend blushing furiously as Jake nod slowly as they walked away down the other hall.

Taylor turned, scowling and fully intending to storm after them, if only to make sure the pilot didn't try anything funny with his best friend; when a large tree on one of the doors made him pause. He looked down at the key in his hand. The trees matched.

"Hmm…" he cocked his head, debating for a moment, before recalling Diego's insistence that he stay out of his room. With an irritated hum, he shoved his key into the lock and turned it quickly, throwing the door open and gaping in surprise.

A warm, welcoming room of jungle greens and soft golden glows lay before him. The best part; a  _ live _ tree, stood proudly at the centre.

He barely paused to dump his bag on one of the couches that he only just noticed upon passing them, his eyes bright as he eyed the tree briefly, before leaping to catch hold of the lowest branch and swing himself up into the heart of the tree. "Huh, first thing about this place that's half decent…" he sighed contently, leaning back against the thick tree trunk and letting his leg swing idly beside the branch he sat on. He closed his eyes and turned the volume on his music down slightly, relaxing fully for the first time since he'd boarded the plane. 

"'Sup," Diego's voice shattered his comfortable illusion of safety, his eyes snapping open as he looked down from the tree to find his friend walking through the open door with a grin. "Guess you picked the right room, huh?" He teased.

"Hmm, it's okay." Taylor said, shrugging his shoulder as he lifted his leg and swung himself down from the tree in a single fluid motion, landing with a small bounce before walking forward as if he'd just risen from the couch.

"Uh  _ huh _ ," Diego huffed, rolling his eyes and examining the room with raised brows. "Damn… in the words of that old dude from  _ Indiana Jones _ ; you chose wisely." He said, walking further into the room and poking his head into the bed area. "Oh  _ man _ , you have a four poster bed!" He exclaimed gleefully.

Taylor hummed and lifted his shoulder dismissively. "Have it, if you like it so much." He said, glancing at the bed for himself quickly, before moving away to lean on the back of the couch.

"That would kind of defy the point of me taking another room, wouldn't it?" Diego snorted, casting him a knowing look as Taylor spread his palms innocently and grinned at him. "Dude, come on…" Diego sighed, rolling his eyes. " _ What _ do you think is gonna happen, exactly? You're just down the hall!" 

"You could be murdered, or kidnapped," Taylor replied flippantly, blinking as he considered the possibilities. "Drugged and dragged off to wherever the staff and guests-"

"Enough. No conspiracy theories, no threat assessments… this is just a vacation that, uh, had a slight hiccup…" Diego said, trailing off awkwardly as Taylor scowled and turned his head to glare out the wall length window. "But it will be fine! I'm sure of it!"

Taylor rolled his eyes. Diego would be sure of a thieves good intentions, even if they had a knife to his throat.

Seeming to want to diffuse the tense atmosphere, Diego wandered over to the bed, launching himself forward and belly flopping onto the mattress. "What… a…  _ day _ !" He sighed, as Taylor reluctantly got up and moved over to the bed, perching on the edge and hesitating, before rifling Diego's hair gently.

The touch seemed to reassure Diego that their argument was forgiven. He grinned at Taylor before inhaling a deep breath and closing his eyes contently, enjoying the soft tickle of Taylor's fingers in his hair before he inevitably moved away.

"Diego…" Taylor hesitated, not wanting to start another fight, but needing to know if his friend had  _ any _ sense of awareness to the situation they found themselves in. "What do you think is going on here?" He asked carefully.

Diego sighed, shaking his head as Taylor pulled his hand away, wrinkling his nose at the faint tingle in his fingertips before shoving both hands between his legs. "Well…" he paused, opening his eyes to peer up at Taylor thoughtfully. "You remember how I said that I wanted this week to be an adventure?"

"The first of many," Taylor recalled, frowning at the notion of anything to do with La Huerta being labelled as lightly as an _adventure._

"Well," Diego said, sighing as a small, shy smile lit his face. "I think maybe, just  _ maybe _ … the universe was finally listening." He said, turning his head toward Taylor with such a blindingly hopeful smile that he couldn't bring himself to dash his dreams with a hard dose of reality.

He averted his gaze, sighing as he considered the extent of Diego's misinterpretation of the island.  _ I don't think he'll see anything but a magical, beautiful island filled with unicorns and adventures galore… even if reality itself slapped him in the face, let alone me _ . He thought, pondering just how he was supposed to keep someone safe when they were utterly oblivious of the danger they were  _ actually _ in.

"Well," he said, offering his friend an unconvincing smile. "Maybe sometimes you should look for the adventure in the life you're given," he suggested, clearing his throat pointedly.

"Oh, that was  _ subtle _ Taylor." Diego snorted, rolling his eyes and grabbing a pillow to whack into his face, driving him back to the bed. "And you say I'm the ridiculous one…" he huffed fondly. 

Taylor caught the pillow with a snort and laughed quietly, dislodging one of his ear buds and glancing up when he heard something slip down the back of the bed. He frowned, stretching to reach down between the bed and the wall and drew out a small slip of old, yellowing paper. He sat up, unfolding the paper carefully to reveal a short note in beautiful looping ink.

" _ I must see you one last time before tomorrow _ ," he read in an exaggerated high voice, breaking out in a smirk when Diego began to laugh. " _ Meet at our spot in Neptune Cove. Midnight _ ." He squeaked, snorting and rolling his eyes. "This is even worse than one of those stupid rom com things you made me watch… look, it's even sealed with a kiss." He scoffed, wrinkling his nose in disgust.

"Shut up, assbutt, it's romantic!" Diego complained, shoving Taylor's shoulder playfully and snagging the old note from him. "Look, there's more in different handwriting…" he said, pointing to a brief scrawl across one tattered corner. " _ I'll be there. _ " He sighed wistfully. "Sounds like some secret, maybe even  _ forbidden _ rendezvous… maybe they were like Romeo and Juliet, only, you know… hopefully not so unlucky in their love story..." he gushed excitedly.

"Neptunes Cove is on the other side of the island," Taylor said, telling his eyes at his friends eagerness to believe in something so fanciful and ridiculous as  _ true love _ , or, any kind of  _ love _ really. "It is pretty secluded, and  _ you _ would call it romantic, but it's a pain to get to unless you're damn good at either rowing or surfing."

Diego raised a brow. "Wow, did you look into this place?" He asked, as Taylor tensed, his eyes glued on the darkening sky beyond the wall length window. "I looked up a bunch of leaflets and maps of the island too, Neptunes Cove was listed but I never thought we would get to see it… huh, without staff though I guess anything is possible." Diego continued to babble obliviously, as Taylor breathed a silent sigh of relief.

"Hey," Diego gasped, as if struck by a sudden epiphany. "Could that be where everyone went?!"

Taylor rolled his eyes. "Diego, that note is probably a hundred years old," he snickered, forcing his lips into a small, mirthless grin. "It's more likely that they were all poisoned and carted out of here by a tribe of savages."

Diego sighed and rolled his own eyes in return. "You know, you could  _ try _ not to be such a pessimist…" he grumbled, before noticing Taylor's bag on the couch. "Hey, you haven't unpacked yet?" He asked, moving away to grab Taylor's bag and bring it back to the bed.

"Why bother?" Taylor asked, shrugging and kicking his legs against the bed as Diego frowned at him.

"What do you even  _ have _ in here?" He asked, jiggling the bag so that it clinked softly. "It hardly weighs anything…"

Taylor didn't bother to stop Diego from opening his bag, knowing it would do no good. He turned his head to watch with a blank expression as Diego unzipped the bag, throwing open the lid and staring in disbelief at the contents.

"Dude," he said, glancing up at Taylor, who blinked indifferently. "I have questions." Diego said, reaching into Taylor's open bag and picking up one of the many cans of body spray. "I have many,  _ many _ questions…"

Taylor shrugged his shoulders, pausing his kicking and cocking his head, a slow grin forming as he counted down in his head. Just as Diego pouted and opened his mouth to ask more about Taylor's deodorant hoarde, his door rattled with a loud pounding. He wiggled his eyes brows as Diego scowled at him and jabbed a finger towards him accusatorily. "We are so talking about this later!" He hissed quickly, dropping the can of deodorant back in the bag with the others and zipping it up again.

"What up, what up,  _ what uuup _ !" Craig bellowed as he strolled through the open door, closely followed by Sean, Raj and Zahra; all carrying a bottle of something alcoholic.

"We're heading to the pool to rage," Raj proudly declared, waving a bottle of champagne in each hand. "That's right! It's a  _ Raj Rage _ !" He boomed, laughing with Craig when he cheered boisterously.

"Huh, silly me," Taylor said, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "Here I thought we were all going to  _ sleep _ ."

" _ Pfft _ ," Zahra scoffed derisively. "We've all the time in the world to sleep." She sneered.

" _ Shots up _ !" Raj cried, a line of glasses filled with a vivid green liquid on the arm of the couch beside him. 

Taylor leaned back on his palms, watching as Diego moved to join the near  _ strangers _ who were apparently quite at ease drinking in his room. "Oh,  _ hell _ yes," he said excitedly. "I was so hoping this would happen!" 

They each grabbed a glass, knocking them back with a chorus of cheers. "So, Taylor," Sean called over, shaking his head and handing his glass back to Raj. "You're coming, right?" He asked, smiling over at him warmly.

"Not a chance." Taylor snorted, smirking at the shock on Sean's face. Zahra shrugged indifferently, taking a sip from a beer in one hand, while Craig and Raj similarly ignored the development, muttering together about a drink of some sort.

Diego sighed. "You're really not gonna come, Taylor?" He asked, clearly disappointed but unsurprised by his refusal.

Taylor hesitated, not wanting to upset Diego but deciding that, ultimately, he'd had  _ way _ more than enough socialising for  _ one _ day. "Nope." He said lightly, reclining further on the bed. "I'm exhausted so, I am gonna crash." 

Diego looked over at him with a small pout. "It won't be the same without you…" he said, his lip twitching fondly at Taylor's knowing snort. "Next time?" He asked, irrationally hopeful, given Taylor's typical nature.

"Sure," Taylor snickered, grinning as Diego sighed in resignation.

He watched the group file out of his room, Sean lingering to say a farewell and wish him a good nights sleep, while Diego glared at him knowingly from under Sean's outstretched arm. Once they were gone, Taylor sprang from the bed and sighed, replacing his ear bud and turning up the volume as he moved his suitcase from his bed to the chest of drawers nearby, leaving it on top and pulling a small notepad and a pencil from a pocket on the front.

He hopped over the back of the couch, throwing himself sideways and rolling onto his back, stretching out with the pad in his lap. He closed his eyes and listened to the thrum of his music for a long pause, before reopening them and focusing his attention on the pad, watching his fingers slowly bring to life the image of a crouching man with shoulder length hair and vivid cerulean eyes.

Taylor drew for several hours, pausing to check every now and then on the sounds of a party outside; figuring that if anything were to of happened, he would have already heard screaming. Finally his eyelids began to droop, his pencil falling from his fingers as he drifted in and out of consciousness.

The darkness behind his eyelids cleared quickly, a familiar lush jungle springing into life around him as a man crouched within the foliage. "Stay down!" He whispered frantically, his eyes wide with disbelief and fear. "It's comin' this way!" Taylor blinked, shaking his head as he prepared to ask  _ what _ was coming this way, when a predatory growl ripped through the air. He turned slowly, as a shape leaped from the trees, claws and teeth flashing in the sunlight-

" _ Hrgh!"  _ Taylor gasped, bolting up from the couch as his heart hammered in his chest, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he flicked his gaze over his room; making sure his dream was  _ not _ about to become a reality.

"Just a dream…" he breathed, leaning against the tree in the middle of his room as relief rushed through him. "The same dream from the plane again…" he thought aloud, shuddering at his vivid recollection. 

He looked out into the dark sky beyond the window, his eyes drawn to the flickering stars.  _ Maybe some air might help.  _ He thought, wondering if he could stomach the ride up to the roof in the elevator; he'd been annoyed to note from the signs throughout the hotel, that it was inaccessible by the stairs.  _ I could take a walk… if I stay close to the resort, I should be okay.  _ He mused over the notion for a moment, before deciding to take the chance and perhaps even see how Diego was enjoying his party.

He sighed and made his way over to his suitcase, unzipping it enough to grab the can which Diego had returned to it; and dousing himself with a  _ very _ liberal spray. Tossing the can on the bed, Taylor reluctantly headed out of his room, slowly making his way dow to the lobby. He glanced through the windows at the back, his eyes flicking over the rest of the  _ guests _ , who were all enjoying the party they'd thrown for themselves.

"Hey, someone hand me a beer?" Jake called, grinning over to the bar where Diego, Quinn and Craig were sat. "'Cause I ain't  _ ever _ leavin' this hot tub." He said, leaning back against the edge of the jacuzzi as bubbles popped energetically around him.

Taylor raised a brow at the mans bare torso, but he grimaced at the sight of Raj bounding toward the pool, leaping into the air and tucking himself into a tight ball. " _ Cannonball _ !" He cried joyfully, as Taylor wrinkled his nose and made a disgusted face, shaking his head and turning away to head out through the main entrance.

He glanced around suspiciously, narrowing his eyes at the dark driveway and the rainforest beyond, before turning and walking along the side of the hotel, making his way down to a small strip of beach. He kept off the sand and well away from the water, walking alongside a long, tall fence which held the rainforest at bay.

He breathed deeply and slowly, eyeing the beach warily every so often as he listened to his music and eventually began to hum along quite contently.  _ Okay, so we have a week to kill. Hell, technically, we're already a day in, _ he thought, cheering dramatically at the notion of already having used up an entire day of the vacation.  _ If I can just keep Diego out of trouble for now; I can probably beg the pilot to take us with him whenever he heads out next. I just have to hope Diego cooperates… or, knock him out. He'll forgive me eventually. _ He mused, weighing the merit of Diego's safety against the awful sulk which he would undoubtedly have to endure if it did come to his knocking him out.

A rustle brought Taylor to an abrupt halt, his shoulders rigid as he held his breath and narrowed his eyes and peered past the fence into the dark rainforest. The moonlight could not breach the thick canopy, but nonetheless, Taylor  _ knew _ that  _ something _ was there.

Silently, he crept onto the sand, inching away from the forest as he stared into it with a steady, unwavering glare. His hip brushed against something solid; and he reluctantly risked a glance, quickly diving behind the object when he discovered it to be some kind of supply shed.

With baited breath, Taylor laid his head against the supply shed wall and squeezed his eyes shut, dread coiling in his gut like a living snake, taut and ready to strike at any second. His fingers trembled as he reluctantly reached up and plucked both ear buds from his ears, shivering as he dropped them to his chest and listened intently.

At first all he could hear was his own heart, rapidly hammering against his chest. Slowly however, the sounds of the party filtered over to him, his eyes cutting toward the poolside where his best friend, no,  _ brother _ was currently enjoying himself. Terror clawed at him, his throat constricting as he tried to force himself to calm down and  _ think _ .

Taylor swallowed thickly, narrowing his eyes as he shifted to his side, leaning against the supply shed wall and peeking around the side; scowling at the rainforest knowingly. He heard soft steps padding slowly over the foliage which littered the rainforest floor, a rumble from deep within the darkest gloom.

And then… he saw it.

Like his nightmare come to life, a shape loomed in the forest. A sinewy shadow, muscles rippling beneath furry flesh and eyes which glowed fiercely; like blazing embers amid the darkness.

"Tayl-  _ oof!"  _ A voice began, only for Taylor to whip around and grip them tightly by the shoulder, pulling them down without thinking and covering their mouth with his hand.

" _ Shut up _ !" He hissed in their ear, not even looking who he'd captured as he glared around the corner of the supply shed, staring into the black shadows of the rainforest; as  _ something _ stared back at him.

Taylor's hostage licked his hand, freeing their mouth and allowing them to jerk away from him. "Oh my god, what the hell do you think you're-  _ aaaahhhh! _ " Quinn's loud scream tore through the night, the shadow in the rainforest hissing and recoiling, the bright glow if its eyes disappearing as it fled from the area.

Taylor sighed, still glaring into the rainforest as he balled his hand into a fist, leaning against the supply shed as he tried to gather his thoughts.

"Quinn!" Sean called, spotting her at the supply shed. "Taylor! Are you okay?!"

"I…" Quinn gasped, shaking as she pointed into the rainforest. "Taylor! He saved me!"

Taylor looked up at her, blinking in surprise. "What?" He asked, frowning as he tried to catch up with the conversation.

"Taylor saved me!" Quinn repeated, grabbing onto Sean's forearms to stabilise herself as she quivered with fear.

" _ Taylor _ saved you?" Diego repeated, his brows rising as he raced over with Jake. " _ Taylor _ did?" He said again, seeming to struggle with the very concept.

"Yes!" Quinn gushed eagerly, licking her lips as Taylor sighed and rolled his eyes, rising to his feet slowly and looking toward the rainforest again, unable to hear anything within anymore and positive, for now, that  _ it _ would not return for the rest of the night. "There was something…  _ something _ in…" Quinn said, her words failing as she wavered on the spot for a second and then finally fainted.

Sean quickly caught her, sweeping her into his arms and looking over at Jake and Diego in confusion.

"Boy Scout," Jake said quietly, moving to step closer until Taylor shot him such a dark scowl that it made him step back again. "What was it?" He asked, raising a brow as Taylor stated into the dark heart of the rainforest.

_ It might not be back tonight… but it definitely will be _ . He thought, swallowing thickly as he tried not to let the panic gnawing at his gut overwhelm him.  _ Keeping Diego out of trouble just got a whole lot harder. I'm gonna have to keep  _ **_myself_ ** _ out of trouble first. _

"Taylor!" Diego's nervous call finally pulled him from his thoughts. He sighed as he reluctantly looked away from the rainforest, reaching for his headphones and slotting them back into his ears.

"I have no idea." He lied, looking over at his best friend and desperately wishing that they make it to the end of the week.


	4. Gimme Shelter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, well, heres an achievement for ya'll... a 15k update within a day 🤣
> 
> I'm exhausted now so... enjoy
> 
> Lemme know what ya think pleaaaase 
> 
> x My love to you all x

**Primal**

"Diego, please, I'm fine." Taylor repeated for the fourth time, sighing as his best friend continued to talk over him. "I just want to go back to my room… I don't need-"

"Well _I_ need a drink and I want _you_ to have one with me!" Diego insisted, ignoring Taylor's groan of exasperation as he cajoled him toward the bar at the far end of the pool. "What were you even _doing_ there? I thought you were going to sleep…"

Taylor eyed the pool warily for an extended heartbeat, before shifting his eyes to his friend, running his fingers through his hair guiltily at seeing Diego's unhappy pout. "I _did_ sleep." He admitted, frowning as he thought back to the ominous; and apparently foreboding, dream. "I had a… bad dream. Went for a walk to get some air and just, ya know, chase it away."

"You had a bad dream?" Diego repeated, frowning at him worriedly. "What about?" He asked tentatively, knowing Taylor well enough to understand that it must have been a **_bad_ ** dream to make him not only leave his room but to actually walk so close to the beach.

Taylor inhaled a sharp breath, looking around the pool area and holding his eyes on Quinn for a moment. He felt a twinge of regret that he'd scared her, but he supposed the fact she was now telling everyone he'd _saved_ her probably meant she had forgiven him. She sat on one of the sun loungers, Michelle; and, surprisingly, _Estela_ on either side of her as she trembled and held their hands tightly.

 _And to think, if I hadn't been there, she could have been facing something like what I dreamt of by herself._ He thought distractedly, exhaling slowly as he recalled the flash of sharp, gleaming teeth and claws from his dreams.

"Okay, fine…" Diego sighed, sensing he wasn't about to get an answer. "But dude, please… I know you're not a _people_ person, but please come and find me next time, at least while we're here." He pleaded quietly.

"If you wanna be there for me so badly, there's this four poster bed in my room…" Taylor offered, grinning slyly as Diego snorted and rolled his eyes.

"C'mon dude, I'm serious." He whined, as Taylor snickered at him fondly. "Don't make me laugh when I'm trying to have a bro moment with you…"

"Don't try and have a bro moment with me." Taylor retorted, nudging Diego with his elbow playfully. "And I mean like, at all, not just because I had some dumb dream." He added, grinning lopsidedly.

" _Taylooooor_!" Diego whined, pouting at Taylor sulkily.

" _Diegooooo_ !" Taylor whined right back, feigning a pout of his own; until they both laughed and shook their heads. "Look, you know I appreciate it. You know I… I… you _know_ ." He said awkwardly, flushing as he tried and failed to force the words past his lips. "Just… I'm _trying_ , Diego." He finally sighed, running his fingers through his hair in frustration.

Diego smiled. "Yeah… I know." He said quietly, chuckling and nudging Taylor's elbow gently. "And hey, compared to when we met, this is _huge_ progress!"

Taylor laughed, unable to deny that he'd changed dramatically since he'd met his friend, mostly in fact, _because_ of him. "Where would I be without you?" He sighed with a playful grin.

"Duh, in a garbage can somewhere, with little ring pulls and banana skins in your hair." Diego snorted, laughing with Taylor as they lightened their moods and the atmosphere which threatened to crush them after the events of the evening.

"Well, there's a sound I never thought I'd hear outta _you_ ," Taylor smiled as he raised a brow, propping his chin in his hand as he met Jake's gaze across the bar. "Ya so damn unfriendly, I never thought I'd get the chance, even if ya _did_ know how."

Taylor snorted and rolled his eyes. "Jake! How'd they rope _you_ into tending bar?" Diego asked, raising a brow at the pilot. "You lose a bet or something?"

" _Pfft_ , as if I _ever_ lost a bet," Jake grinned at Diego smugly.

"But… I thought you refused to leave the hot tub," Diego pressed, flicking his eyes toward Taylor after witnessing Jake do the same. "Did uh, something happen to change your mind?" He asked with feigned innocence, as Taylor frowned at him, wondering why he was suddenly acting so suspicious.

" _Ahem_ , uh, well… I mean, ya should've seen what kinda drinks these maniacs were pourin'," he said, clearing his throat and jerking his thumb toward Craig, who was sitting at the far end of the bar from them. "Drax there? Literally jus' went an' filled his glass to the brim with cinnamon whiskey." He said, grimacing as he reached for a cocktail shaker and quickly began tipping ingredients in with the speed and skill of a well seasoned pro.

"What?" Craig retorted defensively, grinning at Taylor as he nodded his head, as if he'd just told him the worlds funniest joke and was about to deliver the much awaited punchline. "I call it the _Aggro-Craig_!" He said, puffing out his chest proudly. "It's my goto!"

Jake shook his head, grabbing a frosted glass and opening the shaker carefully, pouring the cocktail in slowly before sliding it down the bar into Craig's waiting hand. "Try that." He said knowingly, smirking as he leaned on the bar and waited patiently. 

Craig sniffed the glass with a dubious frown, as Taylor snorted and watched with amusement. He grinned as the jock sucked down half the cocktail at once, lowering the glass and staring st what remained in awed disbelief. "Whoa, brah… that just _blew my mind_!"

Jake snorted quietly, pushing off the side of the bar. "'S called a Sazerac." He informed the jock, who muttered the name to himself repeatedly for future reference. "Consider yaself enlightened, huh?" He said smugly, shaking his head as he turned back to Diego and Taylor. "So, what's ya poison?" He asked, his eyes alight with curiosity.

"I can make my own drink." Taylor said dismissively. "I can make Diego one at the same time, too." He said, smirking at the ripple of shock which passed through the pilots clear eyes.

"But… well, I'm here, ain't I?" Jake said, frowning and glancing at Diego briefly, who shrugged apologetically but seemed resigned to Taylor's behaviour. "Might as well save yaself the hassle an' make use o' me, don'tcha think?"

Taylor sighed as he dropped his hand and sat up straight. "Top Gun, I don't know if you haven't noticed by now, but… I'm kind of independent." He said in a loud, mocking whisper. He shot Diego a pout when he kicked him in the shin, though he rolled his eyes when Diego merely smiled at him sweetly.

"Wouldn't call it _independent_ so much as _bloody stubborn_ , bein' honest…" Jake huffed, shaking his head and narrowing his eyes at him. "In fact, 's almost as if ya _scared_ ," he said slowly, a knowing gleam on his eye as Taylor fought not to flinch.

He pursed his lips, glaring at the smug pilot as he considered carefully for a moment. "Tell you what," he said abruptly, sitting straighter to try and gain some height, or at least to bring him up level with the pilot. "Let me make _my_ drinks tonight, however or whatever I want…" he suggested, hesitating briefly as his cheeks warmed faintly. "A-and… I'll make _you_ a drink while I'm at it."

"Hmm, a Boy Scout original, huh?" Jake mused thoughtfully, narrowing his eyes and holding his breath as he considered. "One condition," he said at last, smirking as Taylor's expression darkened with suspicion. "Ya lemme make ya somethin' next time." He said, winking playfully. "Inspired by _you_ an' everythin'."

"Wow…" Diego whistled, his eyes darting between Jake and Taylor as they faced off with each other with unflinching resolve; Jake grinning smugly and Taylor scowling irritably. "That sounds like a pretty sweet deal, huh, Taylor..? Plus, I would _really_ like a drink right now, because tonight was _way_ more stressful than I anticipated." He said in a rush, his voice rising as his fingers scratched uneasily over the bar top.

Taylor sighed, reluctantly caving under Diego's added pleas of a stressful evening finally convincing him. "Whatever." He muttered, averting his eyes from Jake's smug face before he decided to punch it. He didn't need Diego to start whining at him for _that_ too. "Move." He barked at Jake, scowling as the pilot took his time to finally leave the bar and allow Taylor to slip around himself.

"I gotta bad feelin' 'bout this…" Jake taunted with a playful grin, as Taylor shot him a sour look.

"Taylor's actually pretty good at stuff like this," Diego supplied helpfully, earning his own sour look from Taylor as he chose three glasses and set them on the counter. "He's a great cook too, which is great because otherwise I'd actually have to learn…" he added, watching with a goofy grin as Taylor snorted and rolled his eyes, moving away to gather a small army of bottles.

He set the bottles on the counter, a self amused smirk on his lips as he carefully rimmed a glass with salt and set about opening all of his chosen bottles; taking a quick sniff of each and then setting several to one side, before mixing a generous dash from the remaining bottles into a shaker.

"Well, I been in some real unique bars in my time... an' I ain't _never_ seen a bartender work like _that_ 'fore," Jake said with an amused chuckle, watching Taylor curiously as he flashed him a brief smirk.

"What's the matter, Top Gun?" He drawled, shaking the mixture vigorously and then carefully emptying it into the prepared glass. "Scared? You can always back out of the deal, if you like… I'm real generous like that."

Jake laughed, shaking his head and grinning broadly at Taylor. "I ain't never backed outta a deal 'fore, Boy Scout, an' I ain't 'bout to start now…" he said, winking as Taylor shrugged and slid the drink toward him with a sly smirk.

"Well then, by all means…" he said leadingly, running his tongue over his teeth as he wiggled his brows and gestured toward the drink with an open palm.

Diego flicked a look between the two, his brow furrowing briefly before he quickly wiped the look away; a broad grin spreading across his face as he watched Jake for his reaction.

Jake narrowed his eyes, examining the glass intently as he slowly picked it up. " _Look_ s pretty great," he said as he looked up at Taylor, who smirked knowingly as Jake took a tentative sip and winced. " _Whew_ ! Talk 'bout _bitter_ !" Jake coughed, shaking his head as he exhaled a deep breath. " _That_ is the kinda drink that has folk makin' _very_ bad decisions…"

Taylor snickered, smug with satisfaction as Jake took another small sip despite his discovery. "Exactly," he said, winking at Jake proudly as Diego laughed at his reaction. "Why do you think I call it _The Jake_?" He asked, smirking as he grabbed a clean cocktail shaker and quickly threw together a colourful blend which he knew by heart. "Here, drink." He said, placing the drink in front of Diego and setting about mixing his own concoction.

"Oh, I see how it is…" Jake snorted, grinning as he set his drink down on the counter. "Mister unfriendly suddenly thinkin' he's funny now, huh?" He said, shaking his head as Taylor snorted and grinned at his mixture, sniffing one of the remaining bottles before shrugging and adding a small splash to his cocktail.

"I'm always funny, you just don't know me well enough to realise it." Taylor said, smirking as he shook his drink vigorously. "Don't worry though, it's intentional." He added with a nonchalant shrug.

"Oh, yeah?" Jake raised a brow, examining Taylor thoughtfully. "There a reason for that?" He asked with feigned indifference. 

Taylor grinned, pouring out his drink and setting the cocktail mixer on the counter. "Yup." He said, sighing as he lifted his glass and winked at Jake, before tipping back his head and downing his entire drink quickly. "I don't like people." He said a moment later, smirking as he set his glass on the counter and licked his lips.

Jake laughed despite himself, rising from his chair and grabbing a discarded dishcloth. "Alright, that's it… ya cut off!" He said, his clear eyes bright with amusement as he rounded the bar, laughing in surprise when Taylor vaulted the bar to get out of the way. "Go on, get outta here..!" He snorted, flicking the dishcloth towards him playfully.

"Too slow, Top Gun," Taylor snorted, spreading his arms and looping them up behind his head as he stretched, safely our of the pilots reach. "Damn, and here I thought you were supposed to be some sort of Navy Hot Shot…" he teased, as Diego looked over the rim of his drink at him.

"Dude, please, I don't think there's any kind of training that would actually help anyone catch _you_ ," he snorted, his cheeks a soft pink as he grinned at Taylor. 

"Bet'cha I could… if I wanted to, o' course." Jake bragged, leaning his hip against the bar counter.

"Ha! That would be the first bet you _definitely_ lost," Diego snorted, throwing Taylor a mock scowl as he grinned back playfully. "Trying to catch Taylor is close to impossible anyway, but _especially_ if he doesn't _want_ to be caught… or _found_."

Taylor slid his tongue between his teeth, smirking smugly as Diego rolled his eyes and looked away with a pout. "C'mon, Diego… you know I always come back for _you_." He said cheerfully, exaggerating a wink when Diego reluctantly glanced back at him. "... eventually."

Diego snorted and finally laughed, shaking his head as he looked around the poolside, his smile fading as he saw that everyone was packing away. "I guess the party's over, huh?" He said glumly.

"Aye, scare like that'll put a damper on any shindig, but chances are folk'll feel right as rain 'gain, come mornin'..." Jake agreed, quickly cleaning down the bar and placing dirty glasses on a tray to go inside and be washed properly. "Ya'll got a week, right? I reckon there'll be 'nother party 'fore ya know it."

Taylor grimaced, lowering his arms with a soft _flop_ and pouting at the pilot. "Thanks for reminding me," he groused, frowning when the pilot laughed at him.

"Sorry, Boy Scout, but hey, ya ain't gotta attend, right?" Jake suggested, grinning lopsidedly.

"After tonight, he'll come to anything I do," Diego replied smugly, casting a knowing grin toward Taylor as he scowled back at him. "He'll be paranoid about _everything_ now, so he'll follow me around to make sure nothing happens to me."

"You make me sound like some kind of stalker from one of your badly made films…" Taylor complained, sighing and stuffing his hands in his pockets as he turned to look at the hotel. "Can we _go_ now? I'm tired."

"Whassa matter, Boy Scout?" Jake laughed, stepping out from behind the bar. "Too much fun for ya?"

Taylor wrinkled his nose, watching the pilot suspiciously and deliberately stepping around Diego to keep a decent distance between them. "Too many people." He countered sourly, ignoring Jake's snort of laughter in reply.

Diego reluctantly slipped to his feet, sighing and gesturing for Taylor to lead the way. "Oh _wow_ … hmm, pretty…" Diego babbled, hiccupping and giggling quietly as he swayed on his feet.

"Uh, what the hell did ya give him, exactly?" Jake asked, raising a brow as Diego stumbled forward with a snort. "He can't be _this_ much if a lightweight… he only had _one_!"

Taylor shrugged with disinterest. "He _is_ that much of a lightweight." He countered, eyeing Diego dubiously and frowning when Jake reached to steady his friend. "... but he also had a triple shot of tequila in that particular Tequila Sunrise." He confessed, his lip twitching with amusement as Jake barked a rough laugh.

"Guessin' he can't handle his drink then, eh?" Jake asked, frowning when Diego rubbed his cheek on his shoulder and sighed contently.

Taylor frowned, watching his friend with a mixture of mild amusement and concern. "He can't handle _stress._ " He said, flicking Jake a dubious glance.

"Take it ya don't drink much then?" The pilot asked after a thoughtful pause, helping Diego to shuffle his way across the pool area, while Taylor stuck close to the wall and made his own way across. "Bein' so unfriendly, an' all…" he added with a sly grin.

Taylor rolled his eyes. "I don't go to parties, if that's what you're asking." He said, narrowing his eyes at the pilot suspiciously. "But I _can_ handle my drink… unlike _him_. Usually we just lock the doors and drink in our room." He explained, frowning at himself and wondering why he had told Jake anything at all.

"Hmm," Jake hummed thoughtfully, remaining silent as they crossed the lobby and called the elevator, much to Taylor's dismay; though he didn't argue, considering Diego's state. "Ya know, I reckon ya'd do well with a hammock on the beach in Costa Rica yaself." He finally snorted, raising a brow when Taylor blushed softly and wrinkled his nose.

"I don't like the beach." He said quietly, fidgeting awkwardly as he and Jake stepped into the elevator; Jake dragging Diego inside, while Taylor thumbed the button for the penthouse floor.

"Damn, Boy Scout," Jake laughed, shaking his head and looking over at Taylor with his eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "There anythin' ya _do_ like?" He asked, grinning in such an insinuating way that Taylor felt his cheeks warm considerably.

He swallowed thickly, refusing to look away from the pilots leering gaze as he held himself stiffly beside the door. "... Diego." He said tightly, a thick silence hovering over them as Jake's grin grew.

"That _ain't_ what I-" he began to drawl, but at the ping of the elevator doors, Taylor was already moving. He darted along the hall, reaching Diego's room before Jake had even fully stepped out of the elevator.

"You can put him in the bed," he called back over his shoulder, quickly heading inside and jogging over to the bed without looking around the room. "He can sleep it off and then uh, take some aspirin in the morning..." he said lamely, moving away as Jake entered the room and looked around curiously.

"Huh," he said, looking at the hot tub on the balcony with obvious envy for an extended pause. "Well, damn, an' here I thought _my_ room were overdoin' it…" he huffed, before making his way to the bed and helping Diego to lay down. "Ya gonna be alright with 'im? I can help if ya-"

"I've got it." Taylor interrupted, meeting Jake's amused gaze coolly. "... thanks. For your help." He said reluctantly, his eyes flicking pointedly toward the door behind the pilot.

"Heh, don't do subtle, do ya?" Jake chuckled, running his fingers through his hair and then lowering his hand to scratch his shoulder idly.

Taylor's eyes slid to Jake's shoulder briefly, before returning to his face. "You don't seem to do obvious, so I think subtle would be a waste of effort." He said, frowning and glancing again at the door.

"Alright, alright, I can take a hint," Jake laughed, raising his palms and backing away slowly. "Guess I'll see ya tomorrow, huh?" 

"I don't see how I'll be able to get out of it," Taylor replied, frowning and wondering if there _were_ a way to avoid having to be around so many people the rest of the week.

Jake laughed quietly and shook his head, backing away to the door and softly bumping his fist against the frame. "Night, Boy Scout…" he said, winking quickly before disappearing around the corner.

Taylor let out an explosive sigh, his hand rising to his cheek and cooling the flushed skin. _Urgh, he's way too much trouble. I need to try and avoid him more. I need to avoid them_ **_all_ ** _more._ He thought sourly, shaking his head as he closed his eyes and tried to calm the slightly too fast beat of his heart.

Music thundered in his ears, soothing his nerves as he inhaled and exhaled slowly for several minutes, before reluctantly opening his eyes. He blinked, a slow frown forming as he looked around Diego's room in disbelief and rising disgust. _He took the_ **_honeymoon_ ** _suite?_ He thought, shaking his head at the soft glow of the lights, the reds, the pinks and the sickeningly sweet and fluffy vibe of the room.

"Urgh…" he scoffed, wrinkling his nose and turning to Diego, who wore a huge grin on his face as he snorted softly, his arms spread out on the bed either side of him like wings. "You are _such_ a dork, sometimes." He huffed fondly.

Taylor quickly set about preparing the room for when Diego woke, setting a glass of water and a small pot of aspirin on the bedside table, before easing the covers over his friend. He silently made his way across the room, pausing at the door to flick off the light, before heading out and closing the door behind him.

 _That's Diego sorted for the night… but now what about_ **_me_ ** _?_ He wondered, frowning and stuffing his hands back into his pockets as he made his way back to his own room. _Tonight was close… but I don't think-_ he paused outside his door, narrowing his eyes as he recalled the way that the hidden beast had stared directly into his eyes.

 _No, I guess it definitely saw me… but I don't think it_ **_knew_ ** _me._ He thought, throwing his door open and slamming it shut behind him, ignoring the unintelligible yell of protest he received from some nearby room in response. _I guess the spray did it's job… I'll have to be sure to keep on top of it. The last thing I need is for that_ **_thing_ ** _to sniff me out_. 

Taylor sighed, running both hands through his hair stressfully and standing by the couch for a long pause, before shuffling through to his en suite bathroom. _It shouldn't come back tonight… should it?_ He wondered, chewing his lip worriedly as he glanced around and made his way toward the shower, his gut twisting and turning itself into tight knots. _What if it does though? What if it finds_ **_Diego_ ** _..?_ He shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut as he felt a nervous whine build in his throat, his heart stuttering nervously I his chest.

 _No! Don't be dumb, Taylor…_ he told himself, forcing himself to open his eyes and scowling down at his feet for a moment. _It can't get in here, I'm sure it can't… besides, it definitely_ **_won't_ ** _come back tonight… I think._ He told himself uncertainly, nodding grimly and looking up with a sigh.

Taylor blinked numbly for a second, before reeling back from the mirror opposite in shock and dismay; staring at his reflection as it stared back at him with wide _golden_ eyes.

 _No!_ Panic surged through him, drowning out his music as he stared in terrified disbelief, his heart accelerating so fast and so loud that he thought it might crash right through his chest at any second. _No, no, no!_ He silently pleaded, his knotted stomach abruptly hollowing as fear clutched him tightly in its grip.

"No…" he whimpered, flitting his gaze between each gleaming, golden eye as distress and fear collided, choking him like bile crawling slowly up his throat. "No _, no..._ " He gasped, his chest rising and falling rapidly as the sharp sting of grief and denial clawed through him, leaving angry welts across his heart. Taylor scowled, balling his hand into a fist and lashing out at his reflection. " _No!_ " He roared desolately, barely noticing when the mirror shattered and cut several of his knuckles.

The golden eyes narrowed at him in the cracked mirrors surface, each tiny shard reflecting back the angry, glowing orbs. _This stupid island..!_ Taylor thought viciously, sweeping his arm along the counter behind the sink and knocking the various expensive bottles into the basin and down onto the floor. 

Taylor's grief bubbled into a fierce rage, the mocking golden glow of his eyes in his reflection spurring him into a fury. " _Stupid,_ **_stupid_ ** _island!_ " He cried, whirling to his bathroom door and storming through to the main room, kicking the dresser opposite the large four poster bed and grunting as he gripped the edges and tipped it over.

Taylor roared in denial as he sent a vase hurtling across the room, he yelled with fury as he grabbed the colourful cushions from his matching sofas and threw them all at the window, where they struck with a soft thud and fell to the floor. Like a vengeful whirlwind, he tore through the room, scattering anything that wasn't nailed down to some other part of the room as he gasped for breath and sobbed intermittently with grief.

By the time he was finished, his whole room was in ruins. The furniture was either overturned or pulled apart, the sheets from the bed lay in great streams of fabric, all over the floor. In the centre of all the chaos and destruction, Taylor stood panting heavily, his entire body trembling and heaving with exertion. He stumbled and braced himself against the tree, exhausted from his violent outburst. He hung his head, grimacing at the sweat which coated his skin and caused his t-shirt to stick to him.

 _I'll have to find some new clothes…_ he thought distantly, blinking slowly down at his hands as he watched the blood drip from his knuckles to the carpet, not caring if it stained as his fury was swept away by a thick tide of grief. "Diego will get a kick outta that… he always wanted to take me shopping." He sighed, frowning as he lowered his eyes to his shoes.

"Diego…" he murmured, his heart aching as he raised his head and knocked it back against the tree trunk, swallowing thickly as he glanced around the room and imagined his friends reaction. He slowly slid down the tree, his breath hitching as he stared despondently at the ceiling, cursing his friend for coming on this _stupid_ trip and leaving him with no other option but to follow him. 

_He doesn't understand…_ he thought, trying to remind himself that none of this was _Diego's_ fault. _He can never understand_. He sighed, his feet sliding out from under him as he sat heavily on the floor, gazing vacantly through the branches as somewhere deep inside his heart, resentment began to fester like poison.

"I thought I was so… so clever…" He sighed pitifully, rolling his head against the tree trunk, blinking slowly as self loathing and self pity crashed through him. Hot tears spilt from the corners of his eyes, rolling over his cheeks and dripping from his chin to his t-shirt. "No escape…" he muttered, closing his eyes and sighing dejectedly. _No escape…_ the thought echoed in his mind as darkness rose up to consume him, the distant thrum of music lulling him gently into blessed unconsciousness. 

_Taylor swallowed thickly, narrowing his eyes as he shifted to his side, leaning against the supply shed wall and peeking around the side; scowling at the rainforest knowingly. He heard soft steps padding slowly over the foliage which littered the rainforest floor, a rumble from deep within the darkest gloom._

_And then… he saw it._

_Like his nightmare come to life, a shape loomed in the forest. A sinewy shadow, muscles rippling beneath furry flesh and eyes which glowed fiercely; like blazing embers amid the darkness._

_Taylor tensed, preparing for the inevitable moment when the terrible beast would pounce. He blinked; and the beast blinked too. With a scream already dying in his throat, Taylor launched forward and drove is fist into the mirror, shattering his reflection, as the world began to crumble around him._

Taylor woke with a soft gasp, his head throbbing as he quickly jolted forward, glancing around the room quickly and sagging with relief when he recognised his room even through all the destruction he'd caused.

He groaned, rubbing his aching head and blinking blearily, slowly absorbing the damage he'd caused and sighing with resignation. "Diego is gonna _kill_ me…" he muttered sullenly, looking around for the clock which had been on his nightstand and finally spotting it across the room, the luminous numbers blinking as they declared it to be four minutes past six, meaning he'd most likely had around three hours sleep.

With a sulky whine, Taylor forced himself to slowly inch his way to his feet, using the tree to balance himself. He blinked at a flash of red from his t-shirt, reaching up to his music player and scowling when he saw the battery had died while he slept. He grunted, narrowing his eyes and trying to locate his suitcase, which he finally spotted in the corner of the room; the contents spilt across the floor underneath the large four poster bed. Reluctantly, Taylor pushed away from the tree and stumbled across the room, dropping to his knees and unzipping a side pocket on his suitcase, his hand disappearing inside quickly to retrieve a handful of different coloured music players.

"Hmm…" he hummed indecisively, wincing at the additional throb in his head. Finally, he settled on a pale blue one and quickly switched it on, trading the headphones across to the new player and filling his ears with the soft piano notes from one of his favourite pieces by Frederick Chopin.

With a sigh of relief, he sat back on his heels, listening intently to the music until the dull throb in his head began to recede, allowing him to think clearly at last. _Okay, first things first… charge the spent music player and then get cleaning. Maybe I can hide the worst of the damage before Diego next decides to turn up._ He thought, grimacing at the thought of Diego discovering what a mess he'd made.

He dug his phone charger, as well as the one he used for his music player, out of his suitcase, plugging them in on the night stand beside the bed, before pausing as another thought occured to him quite abruptly. 

With great reluctance, Taylor turned toward the bathroom, walking forward so slowly he felt like it took him a whole year to actually shuffle through the door. He took several deep breaths as his fingers twitched nervously by his hip. "Your eyes are blue… they're _blue…_ " he chanted under his breath, squeezing his eyes tightly shut and forcing himself to lift his head. "Oh god, _please_ be blue…" he whispered, his lip trembling as he drew in a deep breath and held it, forcing his eyes to crack open slowly.

Dark blue eyes, practically _swimming_ with relief, stared back at him from the mirror. "O- _oh..!"_ Taylor cried, swaying forward and catching the edge of the counter with his hands, preventing himself from falling to his knees as blissful relief swept through him, leaving him giddy with joy.

He laughed, shaking his head as he examined his familiar eyes with his heart in his throat. He felt like dancing, shouting from the rooftop, like _celebrating_ his good luck! Why, if the stupid pilot were around, he might even kiss him! Taylor's joyful smile immediately crumpled to a frown. 

No. Definitely not that.

Taylor shook his head, stepping back from the counter with a sigh and a final glance at his dark blue eyes, before he headed back to the main room and looked around thoughtfully. "Wow…" he huffed, raising his brows as he took in the carnage of his temper. "I should really go to anger management." He murmured to himself, snickering at his own joke as he grinned and set about the arduous task of cleaning up his room.

He returned the cushions to the couches, and sheets to the bed; even going so far as to make it up properly, before he set the dresser back on its feet. He returned the various bottles, puffs and sponges to the shelves and counters in the bathroom. He frowned, wondering just how he was supposed to salvage the vase which he'd broken, before shrugging and turning a trash can upside down over it for the time being.

He set the clock back on the dresser, the numbers now rolled forward to reveal it had reached eight forty three in the morning.

He wondered idly if anyone was even awake yet, considering the entire group consisted of a bunch of college students and a pilot who seemed to have no sense of responsibility, he severely doubted it.

With a distracted hum, Taylor made his way to the bathroom, pausing by the large, circular break in the mirror and frowning thoughtfully. "If Diego sees that he's gonna go nuts at me…" he mumbled, running his fingers through his hair and huffing distractedly.

As if summoned by his comment, Taylor heard a single knock on his door, before the handle turned and it creaked open. He tensed, his face paling in his reflection, before he hurried through to the main room; quickly pulling the door closed behind him just as Diego shuffled into his room.

" _Taylooooor_..!" He whined, pouting as he made his way to the nearest couch and flopping onto it face first. "My head says you poisoned it!"

"Your head knows damn well I did no such thing," Taylor chuckled, hiding his hands by stuffing them in his pockets as he strolled over to lean against the back of the couch which his friend had appropriated for himself in his misery. "Believe me, if I poisoned any part of you, you wouldn't be complaining to me about it." He sniggered, grinning down at Diego as he rolled onto his back and pouted up at him.

"My stomach says it's food time." He said sulkily, as Taylor snorted and reached over the back of the couch to poke Diego's stomach playfully. 

"Your stomach _always_ says its food time." He countered with a smirk, raising a brow when Diego whined in exasperation.

"That's because your food is so good!" He protested, thrusting out his lower lip childishly. "Fine, _don't_ feed me. You obviously just _want_ for me to starve…" he sulked, grumbling as he wrapped his arms around himself and pouted up at Taylor indignantly.

"I thought you didn't need me or my cooking skills..?" Taylor teased, smirking as Diego whined pathetically and shook his head, quickly regretting the motion with a small yelp. "What was it you said… oh yeah, _Raj Bhandarkar_ came too, right? So what do you need _me_ for?" He asked leadingly, as Diego seemed to try and decide just which part of Taylor's speech had offended him the most.

"Raj isn't my _best friend_ ," Diego finally grumbled, still pouting pitifully at Taylor. "Maybe I should try his food though, maybe it's even _better_ than yours!" He sneered, though his only response was Taylor's amused snort. " _Tayloooor_..!" He finally gave up and whined.

" _Diegooooo_!" Taylor playfully whined back, smirking and poking Diego's stomach again.

"C'mon, Taylor…" Diego pleaded, his eyes all but shimmering as he made them as big and pathetic as possible. " _Pleaaase_? I'll be your bestest, nicest, most awesome little brother ever!"

Taylor eyes him with flat amusement. "You're the most _annoying_ little brother ever," he countered flatly, though the soft twitch of his lip countered his tone.

"Yeah, well, that's practically the same thing…" Diego grumbled, lowering his eyes to his stomach as it rumbled loudly. "Besides, we both know you couldn't actually survive without- oh my god, are you bleeding?" Diego's playful griping ended abruptly as he snatched Taylor's hand from the back of the couch, rubbing at the dried blood from his furious outburst earlier in the morning.

"Oh, I…" Taylor said awkwardly, pulling his hand away and stuffing it into his pocket. "Had a nosebleed." He lied flippantly, shrugging his shoulders as his heart skipped a beat nervously.

Diego frowned, staring at where his hand had disappeared into his pocket dubiously. "Must of been one hell of a gusher… what brought it on?" He asked, sitting up and frowning when Taylor skipped back several paces.

"Nothing," he said defensively, frowning back at Diego. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? I thought I washed it all off. I'll do it now." He said hotly, turning away and moving toward his bathroom.

"Do you want me to do it?" Diego called already half risen from the couch.

" _No_." Taylor barked back, scowling over his shoulder and gesturing toward the couch. "I'm fine, Diego… I'll do this and then we can go feed you, okay?" He said pointedly, stepping into the bathroom and locking the door for good measure, sagging against it and knocking his head back against the hard surface with an annoyed huff.

 _Trust Diego to notice the one thing you_ **_don't_ ** _want him to_ . He thought sourly, glancing at the broken mirror with an awkward stab of guilt. _But at least he won't notice_ **_that_ ** _._ He thought with relief, stepping over to the sink and frowning down at his hand; the cause of his current predicament.

"Stupid blood… getting me in trouble." He muttered, sighing heavily as he turned on the taps and began to carefully rinse his hands. The water stained red as it trickled over his hand and down into the basin, his eyes watching the lines of red slowly fade from his skin. When he'd finally smoothed all traces of blood from his skin, he turned off the taps and quickly dried them on the towel, before unlocking the door and heading back out to find Diego waiting for him awkwardly.

"See? All gone." He said, holding up his hand and wiggling his fingers playfully. He watched Diego examine his hand carefully, his eyes narrowed at the smooth, _unbroken_ skin suspiciously. 

"Alright," he finally relented, breaking out in a relieved grin as he raised his eyes to Taylor's. "So… what was that about feeding me?" He asked eagerly, bouncing on the balls of his feet as Taylor snorted and rolled his eyes. 

"Come on then," he huffed, gesturing to the hallway. Diego made a sound which was embarrassingly similar to a squeal, darting out the door and waiting in the hallway with a restless energy that made Taylor laugh. "You're such an assbutt." He snickered, rolling his eyes and making his way over to his suitcase, quickly dousing himself in a _liberal_ spray of deodorant, before following after his friend slowly and smirking at Diego's impatience.

"Can we take the lift? _Please_?!" Diego pleaded, his finger already on the call button.

"You take it," Taylor said with a dismissive shrug. "I'll meet you there." He said indifferently, winking at his friend as he passed him, leaving him waiting for the metal monstrosity by himself.

Taylor trotted down three flights of stairs and made his way down the corridor, following the signs which directed him toward the restaurant, Tortuga. He glanced at the elevator, which was still on its way; and smirked as he strolled in through the restaurant's doors, only to blink in surprise at the chaotic scene before him.

"Raj," Sean said, frowning uncertainly at an indistinguishable mixture on his plate. "Uh… when you said you were gonna cook breakfast, I figured you meant, you know, pancakes and bacon or something. Not this, uh… what did you call it, again?"

Raj beamed at his friend, turning with a large frying pan, still in his hand. " _The Raj Hangover Special, Nine Thousand_ !" He said cheerfully, dishing up another plate as he explained. "A perfect scramble of eggs, potatoes, oysters and bananas! All topped off with pickle juice!" He said, not noticing Michelle cover her mouth with her hand and gagging quietly. "Trust me, dudes… it'll cure your hangovers before you can even say, _this tastes gross and weird_. Just try it!" He laughed, setting his latest plate in front of Jake.

The pilot stared at the concoction distrustfully. "This tastes gross an' weird." He said flatly, as Taylor's lip twitched with amusement.

 _He's the type to do something just because he was told not to_ . He thought with a small snort, humming thoughtfully. _Diego would argue that I'm the same… but I know different. There's nobody else like me._ An odd wave of melancholy washed over him, an unexpected loneliness eating at his heart, until he was distracted by the others continuing to complain about Raj's dubious dish.

"I do not want this in this place," Zahra droned, scowling at the plate before her and shoving it away roughly. "I do not want this in my face."

"Ya'll are missing out," Craig said thickly, chomping and slurping eagerly. "This shizz is _delicious_!" He enthused, casting a sly look toward Michelle's untouched plate beside his.

Michelle scowled at him in disbelief. "I once saw you eat a _rock_!" She said, grimacing and looking away as Craig enthusiastically shovelled another forkful into his mouth.

"Hey!" He said through his mouthful, scowling back at Michelle. "That was a _dare,_ and I won ten bucks!" He defended, as if this absolved him of everything. He grabbed Michelle's untouched plate and began to demolish it without pause, which Michelle seemed rather relieved about.

Taylor sighed, glancing around the restaurant and deciding to slip around the edge of the room, hoping nobody would notice him. He made good progress, the idle chatter continuing undisturbed as he quietly made his way around the room and successfully slipped through the kitchen doors without attracting any attention to himself.

 _Huh, not too shabby_ … he thought, looking around the kitchen with an approving click of his tongue. With a quiet hum, he made his way over to the fridges, pulling open a door and rifling through the various things within; including giant slabs of meat for roasting, succulent vegetables and salads, along with numerous desserts.

He grabbed a pack of bacon, a string of fat sausages, two eggs, some mushrooms and three tomatoes, before closing the fridge door and shuffling across to a counter beside one of the cookers. He sighed, reaching to turn up his music briefly, before finding a knife and beginning to roughly chop his tomatoes and mushrooms. He turned with a frown, noticing the large pantry door, hidden in the wall and made his way over, smirking when he discovered potatoes and countless other dry and fresh foods stored within.

He hummed along to the calming thrum of his music, grabbing a grater and quickly demolishing several potatoes and an onion, to a pile of what was essentially mush. He returned to the fridge for some butter and then found two large pans in a cupboard, next to the ovens, to which he poured a liberal splash of oil, from one of the many bottles on the side.

Taylor gathered his items around himself, glancing up to note that the plates were on a rack above the hob, warming them gently while the meal was prepared. _Smart_. He begrudgingly admitted, before his pans began to sizzle invitingly and consequently stole his attention.

Taylor relaxed slightly as he cooked, his tightly wound nerves soothed by the familiar task and by the soft music in his ears. The night had been bad, but the morning had potential, at least with the regard to breakfast. _What happened_? He wondered distractedly, a small frown furrowing his brow as he set his sausages into one pan and added a small slip of butter to the other; portioning his potato and onion mix, before adding several small discs to the pan.

 _Maybe… it was a trick of the light._ He thought, but his optimism was quickly squashed by his usual pessimism. _No… wishful thinking. I know what it_ **_was_ ** _, I just need to figure out what caused it… so I can stop it from happening again._ He thought, sighing despondently and flipping his potato mix to brown the other side.

 _Shock? Maybe, but then… surely that should have kicked in on the beach. Everyone would have seen then…_ he thought, turning his sausages and adding bacon to the pan around them. _So, what changed between the beach and my room? Apart from mentally freaking out about Diego..?_

He paused, his frown deepening as he narrowed his eyes at his pans. _Is that it?_ He wondered, examining his feelings from the previous evening as best he could. _Some kind of fear trigger? Or stress..?_ He hummed thoughtfully, deciding he was definitely onto _something_ with his train of thought.

He sighed and shook his head, pushing his unpleasant discovery away for the time being and concentrating on his cooking. He slid his first batch of hash browns to a plate, setting another batch into the pan and adding his tomatoes around them. _Hopefully today, everyone will be too exhausted to do much…_ he thought, though he had little hope that he'd be proven right.

Taylor quickly finished cooking the remainder of his breakfast feast, adding the mushrooms to the pan once the tomatoes and hash browns were finished, before dishing the whole lot between two plates; leaving the extra sausages and bacon on a plate beside the hob. Despite the sense of foreboding in his gut, Taylor reluctantly pushed through the kitchen doors and entered the restaurant, pausing to blink around the surprised faces which turned towards him. 

"What?" He asked bluntly, scowling beneath the intensity of the many pairs of eyes turned towards him.

"Taylor!" Raj finally called, his face falling as he held up his pan. "I made breakfast for everyone, little dude…"

Taylor snorted and raised a brow. "Yeah, uh… no thanks." He said, lifting the two plates in his hands. "I'm good." He said, his eyes falling to Diego as he sidled over with an eager grin.

"Oh man, I thought you nailed on me and ran off again," he admitted, snatching a plate and picking up a sausage with his fingers, biting the end off and moaning loudly. "Oh, man… _so_ good…" he mumbled thickly.

"Dude, you're so gross." Taylor laughed, shaking his head as Diego hummed dismissively. 

"So, uh… I hate to give you middle school flashbacks and all, but uh, _mmmm_!" He paused to toss a mushroom in his mouth, wincing when it burnt his tongue briefly. "Ah, hot! Oh…" he hissed, before clearing his throat and glancing up at Taylor curiously. "So, where do you wanna sit?" He asked at last.

Taylor rolled his eyes, glancing at the two tables which the others seemed to have occupied, their eyes envious as they swept over his plate. "Wherever, just so long as nobody touches my food." He said lightly, though the threat appeared to convince everyone to quickly look away. 

He waited for Diego to choose his own seat, following after him and shooting him an irritated look when he chose the same table as the pilot; very _deliberately_ choosing the seat which left Taylor either sitting between Jake and himself or choosing another table to sit alone.

The notion was incredibly tempting.

With a small sigh of frustration, Taylor sank into the seat beside Jake, casting him a distrustful look as the pilot glanced longingly at his plate. "... there's sausages and bacon by the cooker. Stop eye balling mine and get your own." He demanded snidely, his brows rising with amusement at the speed with which Jake; and several others, slipped from their chairs and raced toward the kitchen.

"Huh, if I knew it was that easy to get rid of people, I'd have cooked sooner." He mused, looking over at Diego with a small frown, when his friend kicked his shin under the table. "Uh, _ow_."

Diego ignored him, his cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk as he stuffed his face as quickly as he could. "You know, sometimes I worry about you." Taylor commented lightly, grinning as he speared his sausage with the fork set at his place.

"Damn, Boy Scout…" Jake mumbled around a mouthful of bread, sausage and bacon, the pilot having decided to squish as much of the cooked meats as he could grab into a sort of sandwich. "Anythin' ya _can't_ do?"

Taylor cast him a bland look, deliberately choosing not to answer and instead biting the end off of his sausage. He wasn't about to openly reveal his weaknesses to anyone.

Jake spluttered, thumping his chest roughly as his cheeks darkened with pink beneath his stubble, coughing thickly as he choked on his latest mouthful. Taylor raised a brow at the pilots odd behaviour, before returning his attention to his plate, grabbing his knife and settling in to eat in earnest.

Diego sniggered beside him, though Taylor pointedly ignored him. "Jake, I'll warn you now, _don't_ try to talk to him while he eats." He warned, his eyes darting to Taylor's hunched shoulders quickly, before returning to the pilot. "You think he's unfriendly normally? You do _not_ wanna have him lash out at you because you disturbed him while he was eating."

Jake raised a brow at Taylor, who studiously ignored the pilot as well as Diego, despite being acutely aware of his proximity to him, as he cautiously sat in his chair. "Huh, possessive eater, eh?" He asked Diego curiously.

"Taylor redefines the meaning of the word possessive." Diego snorted fondly, swallowing a large piece of hash brown and sighing contently. "But _man_ does he make up for it with his cooking…"

Jake sniggered from Taylor's other side, casting him surreptitious looks as he slowly ate his sandwich.

Taylor ignored them both and slowly devoured his own plate of food. He barely glanced up when the rest of the restaurant fell into a hush, his eyes flicking briefly to the entrance to see Quinn and Estela walking in together, before looking down again and deftly slicing a half of tomato into quarters.

"Well, well, well…" Jake drawled from beside him, as he stuffed the tomato into his mouth with a piece of hash brown. "If it ain't the 'Lil Mermaid Who Cried Monster," he chuckled, stretching back and folding his arms behind his head smugly.

Quinn flinched at his greeting, while Estela looked furious, though she seemed to bite back the retort on her tongue, when Quinn glanced at her pleadingly.

"Seriously, Quinn… you shut down a party quicker than the cops back home!" Raj laughed brightly, offering her a plate of his dubious looking breakfast, to which the redhead shook her head quietly.

" _That's_ what you care about?!" Estela demanded roughly, narrowing her eyes at Raj in disgust and disbelief.

"Look, I… I'm sorry." Quinn said quickly, cutting off any further bickering. Taylor paused with his fork half lowered to his plate, looking up at Quinn with a raised brow. "I know I… I kind of freaked everyone out last night."

Craig scoffed loudly, folding his arms over his chest. " _Pfft,_ didn't freak me out." He argued defensively. " _Nothin'_ freaks Craig out!"

"Craig," Sean said, a disapproving frown on his face as he looked over at his friend, a half eaten sausage waiting on his plate. "Let Quinn talk." He said, as Quinn took a deep breath and flashed him a half hearted, grateful look.

"Maybe I saw something… maybe I didn't," Quinn said with a small huff, pursing her lips and looking around the restaurant guiltily. "But… I promise to try and not ruin any more parties." She said, fidgeting awkwardly as Estela cast her a disappointed look.

"Well, that's good!" Raj said cheerfully, sweeping away the ominous air of Quinn's apology as Taylor frowned, sitting back in his chair as he looked around the room thoughtfully. "'Cause tonight… _we're runnin' it baaack_!"

The rest of the group laughed, Quinn's shoulders sagging with relief, though her smile faded slightly when she caught sight of Taylor frowning at her. _Idiots would rather party than admit there might be something genuinely dangerous out there_ … he thought, grimacing and shoving the remains of his breakfast away from him. _If only they knew._ He thought with a quiet snort, ignorant of Jake and Diego exchanging a bemused look over his shoulders.

He watched Quinn and Estela make their way to the two spaces at Michelle, Raj and Craig's table, where the jock greeted them with a neutral, "'Sup."

"So, what's everyone thinking of doing today?" Quinn asked brightly, prodding the plate of food Raj had given her dubiously.

"Michelle was just saying she wanted to come to the gym with me," Craig snickered, seeming amused by the very idea.

"Oh hey, if you're headed there anyway, Taylor and I could totally be down to hit that up…" Diego chimed in, looking over at Taylor innocently when he shot him a scowl. 

" _Will_ we?" He demanded accusingly, narrowing his eyes when Diego grinned at him lopsidedly.

"It'll be good for you, uh… I mean, us. Yeah, _us_." Diego coughed, covering his grin by stuffing a large piece of bacon into it.

"Hey, I could probably use a little workout, too!" Quinn added with a smile, glancing quickly at Taylor. "I'd love to come too, if there's room for one more!"

"You're coming too?" Michelle asked, cheering considerably and beaming at Quinn with delight. " _Yay_! This will be so much fun!"

" _Pfft_ , yeah, so long as Quinn doesn't have another meltdown." Craig sniggered, as Taylor shot him an irritated look.

"Come on, Craig… go easy on Quinn," Raj said, his expression falling as Quinn looked down at the table dejectedly. "We're all stuck on this island together, dude, we might as well get along!"

" _Pfft,_ says you," Craig scoffed, tipping his chair back on two legs. "I don't get along with _anyone_ I don't want to." He declared proudly, as Taylor wondered if he could discreetly knock his chair over.

"Dude, you don't get along with anyone. Period." Raj sighed, rolling his eyes fondly despite his exasperation with him.

Michelle smirked at the jock. "He's got you there." She said smugly, winking playfully when Quinn glanced at her with a small smile.

"Sounds like ya'll got a group workout planned," Jake snorted with dry amusement, winking at Taylor when he grimaced at the thought. "Have fun with that, eh?"

"You not coming, Jake?" Diego asked curiously, as Taylor turned to frown at him suspiciously when he sounded so disappointed.

"Naw, gotta be a hundred bars in this place an' they're all callin' my name," the pilot chuckled, grinning at Taylor's wistful sigh. "Come find me if ya wanna get ya drink, huh?"

Taylor sniffed, stiffening and turning away. "Sounds like I have plans already." He bit back sourly, pretending not to notice Jake laughing quietly and running his fingers through his hair.

"Well, I'm curious to go back to the beach… I noticed something quite peculiar this morning!" Grace interrupted before Jake could think up a response. "It's terribly _fascinating_ really…" she said eagerly.

Taylor doubted there were many in the group who would be so fascinated by the woman's discovery. 

"Alright, nerdette," Zahra finally sighed, scowling at Grace over the table. "You've got about sixty seconds, 'til I die of boredom." She said, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. "What's your big find?"

Grace blushed, leaning closer to the table after a conspiratorial glance around the room. "Well," she whispered, looking back at Zahra excitedly. "I was walking down by the beach this morning… and I saw some shells which I'd _never_ seen before."

Taylor frowned, quickly considering La Huerta's various inhabitants and narrowing down the potential candidates. "The ones that look kind of like pinecones?" He asked without thinking, holding up his hand and indicating their rough size with his fingers. "Little spirals with a sharp point?"

"Oh! You've seen them too?!" Grace asked cheerfully, beaming a wide smile at him as she steepled her fingers over the table.

Taylor shrugged, unaware of Jake and Diego's confused glance behind him. "Briefly, last night." He lied, looking back at his plate and poking a half eaten sausage with his fork. 

"Oh… well," Grace said after a long pause, clearing her throat when he didn't elaborate any further. "I went back to my room and looked them up in my marine biology textbook?" She said leadingly, glancing around the table with a small, secretive smile. "And there's _nothing._ I can't find even a _single_ shell in there that's even close!"

 _I'd be more surprised if you had,_ Taylor thought, his lips twitching with private amusement as he stared vacantly at his plate.

"Back up," Zahra said, drawing Taylor out of his private musings as he flicked his gaze over to her, her brows raised and her eyes wide as she stared at Grace in disbelief. "You brought your textbooks… on _vacation_?!"

Grace blinked, glancing around uneasily under Zahra's intense scrutiny. "... maybe?!" She replied uncomfortably.

Zahra blinked, then snorted loudly, shaking her head as she broke out in a wide grin. "Congrats," she snorted, idly twirling her knife between her fingers. "You're now _officially_ the dorkiest person I've ever met."

Taylor snickered quietly, though he quickly quieted at Diego's unsubtle nudge, as Grace blushed profusely. 

" _Hmph_ ." Aleister sneered, casting an unimpressed look toward Zahra. "What a sad world we live in, when seeking to be informed is deemed _dorky_ ." He said, tapping his finger against the tabletop thoughtfully. " _I_ for one, find Grace bringing her books to be quite commendable." 

Grace brightened, beaming a wide smile at the pale man sat beside her. "Really?" She asked eagerly.

"I… well, I mean…" Aleister stuttered, his pale face turning an amusing shade of pink as Taylor watched.

Jake opened his mouth, clearly about to comment on Aleister's strange change in colouring, when the doors to the restaurant swung open and Lila breezed in to join them. "Good morning!" She called cheerfully, a bright smile on her face which Taylor immediately distrusted. He wrinkled his nose, an odd and unfamiliar scent entering the room with the tour guide. "I hope you're all enjoying a lovely breakfast in our _five star_ restaurant…" she said leadingly, laughing at her own greeting despite the stony faces before her. "I cane to tell you all… I think I might have found out what happened to the other guests!"

Silence was the tour guides only reply. Taylor glanced around the restaurant to see everyone frown at each other uncertainly. "Well, spit it out already, Dimples…" Jake finally sighed, waving his hand for her to continue.

"Well, I went to the staff office last night, to look for information." Lila explained, holding up her finger to emphasize her point. " _One_ of the computers in there, the one used for island-wide broadcasts, was still running." She said, pausing to look around the group with a reassuring smile.

Taylor thought the smile was more disconcerting than the news about some computer, but he suspected it was just him. The strange scent lingered and he racked his brain, trying to remember what it was.

"It turns out, that exactly two days ago… at three forty five in the afternoon, someone used the emergency broadcast system to trigger a full evacuation of the hotel." Lila explained.

"Full evac, huh?" Jake drawled, clicking his tongue thoughtfully as he stared down at the table in front of him.

Taylor glanced around, noting that several of the others were reacting in much more optimistic ways than he'd expected. The only one who seemed to actually react appropriately was Estela; the woman sat stiffly in her chair, paying rapt attention to the tour guide without openly appearing to.

"It's standard procedure at all Rourke International resorts," Lila said reassuringly, though Taylor was anything but reassured. Had the hotel been overwhelmed? Had the guests and staff been abducted, as he'd suspected all along? "In the event of a natural disaster, the guests vacate the premises and head to a secure shelter!"

"Natural disaster…" Taylor snorted, rolling his eyes as he tried to distract himself from the potential stress of his thoughts, not wanting to have another… _episode_ involving his eyes. Especially not around the others. "You mean like Raj's cooking?" He asked innocently, smirking over at the other man deviously.

"Ha ha, _buuuuurn_!" Craig guffawed, slapping his friend on the shoulder as he laughed uproariously.

Taylor rolled his eyes. Even _he_ knew he wasn't _that_ funny.

"Ouch, Taylor, major ouch…" Raj chuckled, though he seemed to take the barb in stride, grinning over at Taylor warmly. "But I can take a rubbing from a fellow, culinary comrade."

"Julio Child, from what I've seen, ya ain't even in the same kitchen..." Jake chuckled, winking over at the large man as he deliberately licked his lips.

"Questionable cooking aside," Lila said loudly, casting them all a look of disapproval. "The evacuation procedures were designed specifically to handle only certain cases… a hurricane, a viral outbreak or Mount Atropo finally erupting," she said, listing off the cases on her fingers.

Taylor snapped her a sharp look, narrowing his eyes at her and wondering why such a thing would be one of the triggers. Most people had thought it to be dormant, so why include it? Prudent planning? Overly cautious? Or perhaps, someone _knew_ . Taylor averted his gaze before anyone could notice his dark look, turning toward the volcano itself, as if _it_ were to blame for their troubles.

"Yeah, well, I dunno 'bout the rest o' ya'll…" Jake drawled, tipping his head to indicate the nearby window, distracting Taylor from his thoughts and inadvertently drawing the others to look out at the volcano themselves. "But I ain't exactly seein' no hurricanes, viruses or larval flows." 

"So," Sean said slowly, his brow furrowing in confusion. "Then… why would someone trigger the evacuation?" He asked, glancing around the room to see if anyone else had the answer.

"Maybe it was a false alarm?" Quinn suggested, though she frowned and shook her head at her own idea. "But in _that_ case, why hasn't anyone come back?" She wondered aloud, pouting as her answer only begot them more questions.

"Everyone could still be there…" Estela reasoned thoughtfully, exchanging a brief look with Quinn beside her, before looking back at the waiting tour guide. "This shelter… where exactly _is_ it, Lila?"

Lila bit her lip, looking uncomfortable for the first time. "Well, uh, I… I don't entirely know," she admitted sheepishly, her sunny smile faltering briefly. "I've never actually been there…" she trailed off uncertainly, before painting her smile back into place and beaming around the room. "But the signs on the trail say I'll find it if I hike north for a few miles!"

Taylor frowned, chewing his lip thoughtfully. _On the one hand, I don't really want to leave the hotel… theoretically, it's gonna be safest to just sit tight for the week._ He mused, cocking his head as he mentally argued with himself. _But, then again… La Huerta loves nothing more than to screw you over when you least expect it. Perhaps I could look around and figure out an escape route for me and Diego, should we need it_ … he thought, sighing with frustration.

Of all the places for Diego to start his life of adventure, it just _had_ to be La Huerta. 

"I'm in." Jake's low drawl and the scrape of his chair against the floor as he rose, pulled Taylor from his thoughts.

"I'm sorry?" Lila looked at the pilot in confusion and dismay, clearly having not anticipated company on her hike.

"Ya gonna go look for it, ain't ya?" Jake clarified, raising a brow as he too noted her odd reaction. "Well, I'm comin' with ya." He said slowly, tipping his head toward the other table. "Look, the rest o' these kids are havin' fun playin' _Home Alone Two: Island Boogaloo,_ but I was s'posed to be in Cancun a day ago. I'm losin' cash, every second I waste here." 

Taylor almost sighed with a mixture of relief and frustration. On the one hand, having the confusing pilot out of his hair for the rest of the week would be a blessing; but on the other, he'd been debating going to the shelter himself and now he would have to endure the mans meddling curiosity.

"I'll come as well." Aleister added coolly, as Taylor scowled at the table, irritated by the growing scouting party. "I… I'd like to get the lay of the land around here." He said.

Taylor raised a brow, sensing the albino's lie but deciding not to call attention to it.

"I want to go too!" Quinn piped up eagerly, as Taylor groaned and tipped his head back against his chair. "I'd love to help out… and to see some of the sights!"

"Ya sure ya wanna come, Ariel?" Jake asked, raising a brow at her. "'S alright if ya scared… ya can jus' wait back here with the rest o' the Goof Troop."

Quinn puffed up her chest, scowling at Jake angrily. "I'm _fine_." She insisted, turning her head away and pouting at the far wall.

"Heh, well… what 'bout _you_ , Boy Scout?" Jake asked, raising a brow at Taylor when he glanced up. "Ya comin'?" He pressed, seeming oddly invested in Taylor's response.

Taylor took another full second to decide, before sighing reluctantly. "Yeah, I guess…" he muttered, frowning when Jake turned away to try and hide the grin which curled his lip at Taylor's agreement.

"You _are_ ?" Diego balked beside him, blinking and choking in surprise. " _Why_?" He demanded, frowning when Taylor turned a haughty scowl toward him.

"I'm going because _none of your business_." He hissed in a hushed whisper, narrowing his eyes when Diego immediately broke out in an excited, beaming grin.

" _Ooooooh_ , I get it!" He gushed, as Taylor glanced around to make sure his exuberant friend wasn't attracting anyone else's attention. "You've got a crush on someone going!" He gasped excitedly.

" _What_ ?!" Taylor spluttered indignantly, recoiling from Diego as if he'd just sprouted an extra head. " _No_!" He hissed firmly, distantly amused despite his abhorrence of the ridiculous notion.

"So, who are we talking about here?" Diego lowered his tone to a conspiratorial whisper, glancing around the room suspiciously. "Dashing, handsome pilot? Sensitive, gorgeous artist? Stiff, uptight snob?" 

Taylor snorted despite himself. "There's something wrong with you. Seriously, I'm concerned." He said flatly, his lip twitching with amusement as Diego practically vibrated in his seat with excitement. "Why are you so excited?"

" _Because_ dude!" Diego all but exploded, barely keeping his voice to a whisper. "You have _never_ shown even the remotest interest in _anyone. Ever!_ " He hissed, his eyes wide and bright as he beamed at Taylor gleefully. "I was beginning to think you were just completely disinterested in-"

"Diego, I _am_ disinterested." Taylor interrupted, shaking his head fondly at his friend. "Don't let this go to your head, dude. It's _not_ what you think." He promised.

Diego promptly ignored him, chuckling wistfully. "I gotta say, Taylor, I've had a few crushes in my day…" he said, as Taylor rolled his eyes, remembering Diego's terrible taste in men for himself. "But I've never liked anyone enough to follow them into some creepy shelter!" He laughed, as Taylor raised a brow.

"No? I seem to recall you following _one_ guy into a creepy-" he began, smirking when Diego blushed and slapped a hand over his mouth.

"Okay, that was _not_ a creepy shelter and it was _one time_ !" He hissed scoldingly, narrowing his eyes at Taylor. "And you _know_ we do not speak of that!"

"Uh huh," Taylor snorted, shoving Diego's hand away from him playfully. "Just try to keep yourself out of trouble while I'm gone, yeah?" He asked in a more serious tone.

Diego scoffed loudly. "Ha, good one, Taylor." He said, shaking his head as Taylor looked back at him sharply. "What? You can't expect to be crushing on someone and _not_ have me follow along to figure out who it is." He sniggered, smirking at Taylor as he scowled irritably. 

"You are _not_ coming." Taylor said firmly, shaking his head vehemently. "It's not safe, you should stay here."

"If it's so dangerous, why are _you_ going?" Diego countered, frowning at Taylor's stubbornness. 

"I didn't say it was _dangerous_ ," Taylor argued.

"Then why can't I come with you? Because you're crushing on someone?" Diego sniggered, a goofy grin on his face. "Dude, you know I won't judge, but hell, it took you long enough so, there no way I'm missing this." He huffed.

"You will if I lock you in your room." Taylor said, raising a brow in silent challenge as Diego sighed and rolled his eyes. 

"You said it was _not safe_..." Diego pointed out, frowning at Taylor and pointing a finger at his chest. "Either it's not safe and we should both stay here, or it's not dangerous. You can't have it both ways, dude." He said flatly.

"I know what I'm doing." Taylor retorted, narrowing his eyes at his friend and pointedly ignoring his attempt to stymie him. "I'll be fine."

Diego broke out in a wide grin. "Great, then there's no reason for me _not_ to come." He said brightly, as Taylor groaned with resignation, realising there was no chance of him convincing Diego to stay behind. "Besides, if I don't come, who will scream _I told you so_ , when something horrible attacks us..?"

Taylor sighed, hoping his friend never knew how accurate his joke may turn out to be.

"Alright, well, if we're all set…" Lila called loudly, distracting Taylor from his melancholy. "Take five to get ready and we'll meet in the lobby!" She said, smiling brightly at everyone, before making her way out of the restaurant doors like a large yellow blur.

Taylor reluctantly rose to his feet, murmuring a brief agreement to meet the others in the lobby in five minutes, before hurrying back upstairs to his room, where he doused himself in another _liberal_ application of body spray and rifled through his music players, selecting another and exchanging it for the one he'd started when he woke up, leaving it aside for when he returned later.

He hoped he wouldn't be too long.

Taylor sullenly hung back from the rest of the group as they set off, following a trail which led them north through the rainforest which surrounded the hotel. He turned his music up and ignored everyone, Diego especially, his friend laughing at his attempt to give him the silent treatment.

"What's with _him_?" Jake asked him as they walked, noticing Diego's amusement as they made their way through the sweltering jungle, the trees seeming vibrant and all but bursting with vitality.

"He's sulking because I decided to come exploring, rather than wait around for him at the hotel." Diego explained, grinning as Taylor scowled at the floor, his lips moving silently to whatever music he had playing at that moment. "He'll be fine later, or, well… as fine as Taylor ever is."

"Ain't he _ever_ gonna loosen up?" Jake asked, glancing behind them curiously as they ambled through the dense foliage. "He can't be this unfriendly _all_ the time, can he? Even _I_ gotta let go an' socialise every now an' then…"

Diego laughed, his expression softening fondly. "Taylor has his own special definition of _friendly_ ," he said warmly, grinning lopsidedly as he stumbled over a tree root and Jake snagged his arm to keep him from falling.

Taylor sniffed. _He_ would have let Diego fall; right on his stupid face. The assbutt deserved it.

"Heh, thanks…" Diego chuckled. "Look, Taylor's got a few issues with people. I've known him… well, it feels like forever. I can't remember a time we haven't been together, to be honest." He said, smiling fondly as he recalled his friendship.

Jake frowned. "Ya ain't related?" He asked, raising a brow and glancing back to cast a surreptitious glance over Taylor, who pretended not to be aware of the pilot at all. "Huh, he said ya brothers…"

"As good as," Diego agreed with a soft sigh. "My folks took him in when he was five and we basically grew up together like brothers. I don't think blood really matters that much, ya know?" He said, looking up at Jake and blinking in surprise at the pained expression he wore.

"Nah… I don't think it does either." He said tightly. Taylor glanced at his back briefly, before quickly looking back at the floor. "He ain't got no other family?"

"Not any that came looking for him," Diego said darkly, taking a deep breath and puffing out his chest, raising his chin defensively as he glanced over at Jake. "Besides, he doesn't need them, anyway. He has _me_ … and even though he's an overprotective idiot, I love him. _I'm_ his family. And he knows I'll never abandon him… though, he acts like he doesn't sometimes."

Jake chuckled quietly, letting the subject drop for a moment and scrubbing his hand over his stubbled jaw as he glanced back again. "What the hell's he listenin' to all the time?" He finally asked, raising his brows in surprise when Diego laughed.

"He's obsessed with music," Diego admitted, shaking his head fondly. "He had trouble sleeping as a kid, so I gave him an old m-p-three I had and since then he's just… collected every piece of music to ever exist, I think." He snorted with a goofy grin.

Jake blinked and lifted his brows in surprise. "He ain't got a preference?" He asked. "Don't he _ever_ turn it off?"

"If he's in the shower? Maybe?" Diego replied uncertainly, shrugging lightly. "He has them all colour coded, so he knows what's on each one and can just pick what he wants, when he feels like it."

"Huh," Jake hummed, eyeing Taylor thoughtfully as he strolled along beside Diego. "What's he listenin' to _now_?" He asked curiously.

Diego hummed, raising a brow at Jake slyly. "Why are _you_ so interested?" He asked with a devious grin, unaware of the warning look which Taylor shot him.

"I _ain't_ ," Jake replied defensively, glancing back at Taylor with his hands stuffed deep into his jacket pockets, a second too late to see Taylor's eyes carelessly slide away from Diego. "I just… I mean, he's _always_ got somethin' on. Jus' wondered what his poison was today…"

Diego laughed, shaking his head lightly. "What colour is it?" He asked, smirking at the pilot when he glanced back at Taylor again.

"Uh," Jake hummed, narrowing his eyes as Taylor deliberately hunched his shoulders and made it more difficult to see the music player on the neck of his t-shirt. "Is that… _bubblegum pink_?" He snickered, his lips twitching with amusement.

Diego burst out laughing, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he waved his hand before his face in warning. "Oh god, _stay away_ !" He cackled, gasping for breath as Jake looked over at him dubiously. "Just trust me, okay? So long as he's listening to _that_ you'll get no sense out of him _whatsoever_!" He sniggered, a secretive smirk on his lips.

Jake frowned and opened his mouth, but Quinn bounced over at that moment, grabbing Diego by the arm and dragging him away to look at the glowing flowers around them. "This is _unbelievable_ …" she breathed, her gaze darting between the pearly pink, the electric blue and the vibrant purple blooms all around them. "These colours, these _textures_ … they're like something out of a dream!"

"Beautiful, right?" Lila called over her shoulder proudly. "Due to its geographic location, La Huerta has one of the most unique ecosystems on the planet, boasting flora and fauna not found anywhere else!"

Taylor snorted derisively. _You have_ **_no_ ** _idea_. He thought snidely, tensing as he caught sight of Jake unsubtly slowing his pace and dropping away from the rest of the group. "Sure thing, Minnie Mouse," he sneered at the others, feigning ignorance of his closing the distance between himself and Taylor. "Keep on spewin' that Rourke International propaganda, but I ain't buyin' it…" he scoffed, giving the flowers a wide berth as he cut a glance toward Taylor.

"And just what is _that_ supposed to me?" Aleister demanded, casting a distrustful look toward Jake at the same time as Taylor, though Jake's attention was focused on the albino.

"I'm jus' sayin'," Jake defended, raising his palms in placation. "All the brochures harp on 'bout how this place is some kinda Disney paradise… but, drink in the right dive bars an', well, ya start hearin' a few rumours 'bout what's really goin' on 'round here." He said with a pointed look at Lila, who suddenly appeared fascinated by the flowers herself. "Criminal plots, illegal experiments, _folk goin' missin'_... all kinds o' crazy."

"Conspiracy theories? Really?" Quinn laughed, skipping through a patch of flowers joyfully. "You don't strike me as the type…"

"Laugh it up, Pippi Longstocking." Jake scoffed, narrowing his eyes at the redhead. "While ya'll been busy, tweetin' 'bout ya pumpkin spice lattes an' shit, _I_ was flyin' covert missions over Kandahar." He said, swallowing thickly and taking a deep breath as he glanced away. "Once ya peeked behind that curtain… well, let's jus' say there's some shit out there that'd blow ya mind." 

Taylor frowned, noting the tone of regret in the pilots voice and wondering what had happened to make him so pessimistic. Surely he couldn't _naturally_ be as emotionally constipated as he was?

"Them pretty flowers ya'll are _oohin'_ an' _aahin_ ' 'bout?" Jake finally continued, shaking his head as if to clear it. "Ya ever think they might jus' be sizzlin' with radiation?" 

"That is _preposterous!_ " Aleister exploded, shaking his head in disbelief as he tromped through the thick undergrowth. 

"Yeah? What 'bout _you_ Boy Scout?" Jake asked, turning toward Taylor with a curious look. "Ya trust this place?" He pressed, his face a mask of innocence as Taylor studiously ignored him.

"I told you not to bother," Diego laughed from ahead of them, ignoring the brief flash of a scowl which Taylor sent his way. "Trust me when I say, you do _not_ want to push him to talk right now…" he warned, his eyes dancing with laughter as he turned and skipped away with Quinn.

Jake frowned, glancing back at Taylor with a frustrated look, clearly irritated by his own curiosity. "What the hell're ya even listenin' to?" He wondered aloud, raising a brow as he waved a hand under Taylor's nose. "Hey… Boy Scout? Ya in there?" He taunted, as Taylor rolled his eyes, sensing he wasn't about to avoid the pilots attention anytime soon and deciding there was more than one way to put some space between them.

He snapped his head up, shooting the pilot a playful but ignorant look. " _Ano umi he to tsuduku_ ," he sang along to his music player, startling the pilot into taking a step away from him. " _Michi nori mujaki ni…_ " he sang, swinging his hips and raising his arms as he shuffled away from Jake into the denser foliage. " _Warai korogete hashiri nukete itta_ ~" he sang, stomping up a large tree root and bouncing from the end lightly. " _Tooi natsu no hi._.!"

"What the _hell_ -?" Jake demanded, shaking his head in disbelief as Taylor danced through the undergrowth, singing along to a song which only he could hear. Or understand.

" _Ima mo mune ni nokoru_ ," Taylor continued seamlessly, ignoring Jake's interruption and shuffling along with his arms raised beside his head, his toes tapping against the floor with each step he took. " _Osanaki boku-tachi…_ " he cooed, lowering his arms to his hips as he shuffled and sauntered his way up the exposed roots of a fallen tree. " _Sono saki ni matsu mirai no koto nante_ ~" he sang, dancing coyly along the broad top of the fallen tree. " _Shirusube mo naku_..!"

"The hell did I jus' witness, exactly?" Jake demanded of Diego, frowning as he cackled gleefully at Taylor's show of disinterest. 

"Pink is his j-pop m-p-three," he explained between gasps for breath, Quinn giggling along as she helped him keep his balance. "We started watching a few anime shows and he liked the music, so he downloaded a bunch and put them on his music player."

"An' what?" Jake scoffed, glancing over at Taylor as he pointed out into the forest from the end of the tree, wiggling his hips in a way which Diego suspected he had _no idea_ was seductive, utterly heedless of the pilots eyes on him or their conversation about him. "He learnt all the words? That'd take him how long, exactly?"

Diego shrugged dismissively. "He picks up on things pretty easily, he's kind of like a sponge, to be honest… _and,_ not to mention, he has stuff on repeat when he gets _really_ obsessive…" he explained, laughing at his friend fondly. "So yeah, eventually he learns all the words to most songs he has. It's just… how he is." He said, shrugging as if that answered everything.

Taylor ignored them all, prancing along his makeshift log-stage in an energetic shuffle and enjoying his music, turning it up in an attempt to drown out everyone, except for himself.

"How long's he gonna go on like that?" Jake asked, his eyes drawn to Taylor's display as he turned away from them all, wiggling his hips in a way that Diego just _knew_ he hadn't considered the connotations of. "He's gotta have _some_ input in this whole thing, ain't he? Else, why'd he come?"

Diego spread his palms. "Taylor is a mystery unto all but himself," he said, grinning over at his friend fondly. "But to answer your question, no. You will get absolutely _zero_ sense out of him, until he swaps his music player over to literally… _anything_ else." He said, laughing as Jake hummed thoughtfully.

"Tell me your… _friend_ , at least, would not believe this conspiratorially theory prattle…" Aleister sneered, eyeing Taylor as if doubting his sanity.

Diego laughed again. "Are you kidding me?" He snorted, shaking his head fondly. "He'd be the one who _started_ them." He sniggered, clearing his throat and feigning a scowl. " _Unique ecosystem or not... flowers, should_ **_not_ ** _glow like that_ !" He said in a perfect imitation of Taylor, before breaking out in a fit of giggles. "Taylor practically wrote the book on _better safe, than sorry_ … in fact, I think he invented the whole concept; and then _improved_ on it."

Jake snorted quietly, unaware of Diego's sly grin building as he glanced over at his oblivious friend, snickering at the pilots obvious interest and his unconvincing attempts to hide it.

"Well, _I_ still think they're beautiful…" Quinn sniffed, giggling as she watched Taylor and bit her lip softly. "And I'm not about to let some silly conspiracy theory prevent me from appreciating them." She said, sticking her tongue out at Jake playfully. 

Lila brought the group to a halt, her brow furrowed in confusion as she repeatedly turned around in a circle. "But… but this doesn't make any _sense_ …" she mumbled, shaking her head in bemusement.

"What's wrong?" Diego asked, frowning as he caught up to the tour guide with the rest of the group, save for Taylor, who was still dancing by himself a safe distance from anyone else.

"Well," Lila said, blushing with embarrassment. "The signpost said the shelter should be… well, right here!" She said, frowning as she looked away into the forest again.

"Oh, great… even the _tour guide_ is lost!" Aleister scoffed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he scowled down at the floor. "Just what do they pay you for, exactly?" He demanded, lifting his head with a sigh and folding his arms over his chest, glaring at the bubbly tour guide in frustration.

"Tactical scoutin' one oh one, kids," Jake said, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "Get to higher ground. See that rocky outcrop, over there?" He said, squinting as he tipped his head toward a cluster of cliffs surrounding a hilltop, a short detour away. "I'm checkin' it out."

"Taylor _loves_ climbing," Diego said with feigned nonchalance. "He'll be useless for any kind of conversation, but you should totally take him with you." He suggested innocently.

"Hmm, gotta get 'im to stop prancin' long 'nough to get over here, first." Jake scoffed, glancing at Taylor as he dove into a dense patch of foliage and briefly disappeared, before bouncing up and shuffling away behind a tree again.

"Heh, leave that to me," Diego snickered, opening his mouth to call his friend over, when Quinn's eyes widened suddenly.

"Oh my _gosh_!" She gasped, a bright smile lighting her face. "Do you hear that?! It sounds like there's a waterfall nearby!" She gushed eagerly, glancing down a path which led through a small grove of trees, a short ways behind them. "The shelter might be there!"

Diego grinned. "Or, you just want to go check out a waterfall." He said knowingly, a devious plan building in his mind.

Quinn giggled guiltily, folding her arms behind her back as she rocked forward on the balls of her feet. "... maybe." She admitted with a giddy grin.

"Guys, I _really_ think we should stick to the trail…" Lila interrupted, looking around them all with a disapproving frown. "The shelter might just be a little further ahead…"

"Well," Diego said slyly, pressing a finger to his lips and winking at Quinn, before clearing his throat and raising his voice. " _Why don't we split up?_ " He called loudly, holding up three fingers and slowly folding them down, his grin growing at a loud crash, before the sound of hurried footsteps ended abruptly; with Taylor scowling at his friend.

"How about _no_?" He argued, his scowl darkening further when both Quinn and Diego burst out laughing. He ignored Jake's quiet snort of laughter, deciding his quiet amusement was far more acceptable than the others, his gaze locked onto Diego as his best friend smirked at him.

"Well, see, _Jake_ is going rock climbing," Diego said pointedly, snickering as Taylor's irritation was briefly knocked aside by a look of longing, before he quickly shook his head and scowled at his friend once again. "And _Quinn_ is going to go see a waterfall we heard… so _I_ thought-"

" _Don't_ say it!" Taylor snarled, baring his teeth as Diego merely grinned at him gleefully.

"I would _really_ love to see it too!" He said, ignoring Taylor's interruption entirely and even laughing at his weary sigh of frustration.

" _Diegoooooo_!" Taylor complained, running his fingers through his hair irritably.

" _Taylooooor_ !" Diego countered with amusement, nudging his elbow playfully and tipping his head towards Jake. " _Go._ Do some climbing. Have _fun_." He said, linking his arm through Quinn's with a smug smile. "Unless… you wanna come see the waterfall with us?" He offered innocently.

Taylor scowled, debating for an extended pause, before giving in with a groan. "Stay on the path… and if you hear _anything_ -" he warned, his expression crumbling into a raw look of fear as he silently pleaded with his best friend not to go.

"I will scream like a little girl, so you know where I am and you can come save me." Diego promised, grinning at Taylor goofily, as he reluctantly resigned himself to the inevitable. " _Be nice._ " Diego warned in a low tone, just for Taylor's ears.

Taylor rolled his eyes. _Being_ **_nice_ ** _got me in enough trouble yesterday… I don't think I can handle two days in a row._ He thought, watching with a sour expression as Diego and Quinn set off together.

"And change your music!" Diegoncalled back to him. "Don't just ignore Jake the whole time… _it's rude_!"

Taylor sighed, but for the most part, ignored the request. He'd only brought the one with him, so he _couldn't_ change it, even if he wanted to. But, he supposed could resist the urge to ignore Jake completely, if he really had to.

"Well, I'm going to check out the trail…" Lila said, frowning as she shook her head, looking after Quinn and Diego worriedly.

"And I am waiting _right_ here." Aleister said in clipped tones, gazing down his nose at everyone. "I see no reason to traipse around on some fools errand."

Taylor pouted as Jake raised a brow at him, indicating the path toward the hilltop with his elbow. "Whaddaya say, Boy Scout?" He asked, flicking a curious look down at Taylor's music player. "Wanna keep me company?"

"Not really, but it sounds like Diego has already signed me up." Taylor grumbled, ignoring Jake's amused snort and reluctantly following along behind him as he set off on the path toward the mountains. He led them safely through the undergrowth, deftly hopping over a log and sliding smoothly under a low hanging branch upon landing.

Taylor raised a brow, annoyed to find he was mildly impressed by the maneuver. "Impressive," he reluctantly admitted, narrowing his eyes at Jake's exaggerated start of surprise. "What?" He demanded haughtily, as Jake laughed at him quietly.

"Nothin'... jus' surprised is all," he said, grinning at Taylor lopsidedly. "I mean, that _almost_ sounded like a compliment… an' considerin' how _un_ friendly ya are, I was pretty shook."

Taylor rolled his eyes. "It was _not_ a compliment." He sniffed, looking back at the path ahead of them in disinterest. "It was just a statement of fact… a begrudging one, at that."

Jake laughed openly, shaking his head as Taylor cast the occasional, curious glance his way. The pilot remained quiet, a small smile on his lips as they trekked through the jungle together, until finally, Taylor's curiosity got the better of him. "You do this a lot?" He asked stiffly, resenting his own curiosity and cursing Diego for putting him in such a stupid position in the first place.

"Get stranded on mysterious islands with a group o' plucky college brats?" Jake replied, unwittingly easing Taylor's tense nerves with his easy banter. "Gotta say, 's a first."

"You know what I mean," Taylor sighed, rolling his eyes. "You obviously know what you're doing, because you're pretty confident in the outdoors… and you must be relatively used to hiking at least, unless they skipped that in _your_ part of the Navy." He said tauntingly, firmly telling himself that he was _not_ needling for any kind of information about the pilots past.

Jake snorted quietly, sighing as he looked around the jungle with a wistful gaze. "I grew up in Louisiana…" he confessed. "Town so small, it weren't even on a damn map." He shrugged, looking over at Taylor with a deep sadness buried in his clear, cerulean eyes. "When ya get right down to it, jungle an' swamp ain't so different."

Taylor looked away, feeling intrusive of the other mans pain in his gaze, whatever it may be. "Hmm," he hummed, clearing his throat and toying with the hem of his t-shirt uneasily. "Probably… not as many gators out here though." He said awkwardly.

Jake smiled at his effort. "Less gators, more jaguars." He said with a dismissive shrug. "I'll call it even." He chuckled, as Taylor frowned and glanced around the trees, briefly searching for something much worse than a jaguar. "How 'bout _you_ , Boy Scout?" Jake asked, looking him over curiously. "This ya kinda scene?"

Taylor shrugged indifferently. "City, jungle, swamp… they're all the same. All _limited_." He said, avoiding Jake's questioning look. When the pilot continued to cast him unsubtle looks, Taylor sighed and relented. "Look, don't get me wrong… I love the outdoors. The blue sky overhead, the fresh air, a soft breeze… what's not to love?" He said, sighing and shaking his head despondently. "But it's all a sham, a dream… and eventually, every dream is shattered."

Jake raised a brow. "Mighty dismal outlook ya got there…" he said slowly, as Taylor lifted a shoulder in silent response. They continued in silence for a short time, before Jake cleared his throat and pointedly fixed his eyes on the path ahead of them. "Ya uh, ya _buddy_ was sayin' how his folks took ya in…" he said leadingly.

Taylor frowned, biting his tongue and wondering why Diego would tell some _stranger_ anything about either of them. "In a sense." He finally admitted, glancing over at Jake and examining him quickly, before continuing. "Diego… found me. _He_ saved me." He said in a quiet voice, looking away from the pilot and stuffing his hands in his pockets. "He saw me looking for food in a trash can near his school and took me home… his parents thought I was just a friend from school, they let me stay over sometimes. The rest of the time, he would sneak me in through his bedroom window and feed me tidbits from the fridge in the middle of the night."

Taylor felt his stomach tie itself in a tight knot. _Why_ was he telling something so personal to someone who was no better than a total stranger to him? He frowned, stubbornly biting the inside of his cheek and _refusing_ to say anything further.

Jake didn't respond for some time, seeming to take his time and absorb everything Taylor had confessed slowly. Taylor tuned his attention to his music player, ignoring the pilot and the uncomfortable prickling of his skin from having shared too much.

"So," Jake finally coughed, as Taylor tensed, preparing himself for more invasive questions about his past. "Ya like climbin' then, huh?" He asked instead, taking Taylor by surprise. 

He blinked, cocking his head in confusion. "Uh, yeah?" He replied uncertainly, uncertain as to whether he had missed some other part of the conversation somewhere.

Jake grinned, as if he could read his confusion in his eyes. "That why ya came 'long with me?" He asked, cocking an eyebrow at Taylor curiously. "Felt like a nature hike an' a bit o' climbin'?"

Taylor snorted, quickly recovering his wits. "I came because Diego _made_ me, remember?" He snickered, tossing the pilot an uncharacteristically playful look. "Don't think so highly of yourself… you're not _that_ irresistible."

Jake laughed openly, grinning at Taylor's snarky attitude. "What makes ya think I'm used to folk findin' me irresistible? Ya know, 'sides it bein' true?"

Taylor shrugged indifferently. "You have the ego of a man who has people throwing themselves at him." He said lightly. "You're confident, you're capable and you know what you're doing… even _here_ , on this back to front hell hole of an island." He snorted derisively. 

Jake blinked. "Did… did _you_ , Captain Unfriendly, King o' the Scowls…" he said teasingly, grinning slowly as Taylor rolled his eyes and sighed expectantly. "Did _you_ … jus' say somethin' _nice_? 'Bout 'lil ol' me? Boy Scout… I'm touched…"

"You're something, alright." Taylor scoffed. "Delusional." He clarified, smirking when Jake laughed again, the sound surprisingly pleasant to him. "You think I'm a right weirdo… don't you?" He asked, raising a challenging brow at the pilot.

Jake stopped laughing, looking over at Taylor with a grin and a considering look. "Naw, not weird." He said, his gaze softening into something which bordered on intimate, which was _far_ too uncomfortable and was definitely out of bounds, in Taylor's mind. "Jus' dorky, interestin'... an' a 'lil on the nose. Classic Boy Scout."

Taylor rolled his eyes. "Are you _ever_ going to call me by my name?" He wondered aloud, fighting to keep his lips from twitching into a smile.

Jake winked at him. "When ya earned it." He said, reaching out to clear away a thick cluster of ferns and revealing the path to the foot of the cliffs. "Well… if we can jus' get up that, then we'll have a clear view o' the land." He said thoughtfully, glancing over at Taylor. "How's ya rock climbin'?"

Taylor grinned and lifted a shoulder in feigned nonchalance. "Better than yours." He replied smugly.

Jake snorted and rolled his eyes. "Guess we'll soon find out," he chuckled, moving to the base of the cliffs and putting his back to them, bracing his weight and making a stirrup for Taylor to step into. "Here-"

He broke off with an awed stare, as Taylor leapt and grabbed a handhold, swinging himself deftly up the front of the cliff face with an ease which the pilot had clearly not expected. "You coming Top Gun?" He called back, peering down over his shoulder with a grin. "Or are you just gonna watch me climb?" He asked, sniggering at his own teasing.

"I'm thinkin' 'bout it…" Jake admitted, swallowing thickly as his awed gaze followed Taylor's progress for a long pause. " _Damn_ … ya weren't kiddin', huh?"

Taylor ignored the pilot, laughing quietly to himself as he lightly swung himself from handhold to handhold, making his way up the cliff front with a natural ease. He hauled himself over the ledge at the top, rolling onto his side and springing lightly to his feet, smiling at the sound of Jake pantong, hurrying to catch up with him.

"Come on, Top Gun… just a little more," he called tauntingly, snickeromg at Jake's amused huff of breathless laughter in reply. He leaned over the side, watching Jake ascend the treacherous rock face quickly.

"Ah, _shit_ -!" Jake cursed abruptly, his hand slipping when one of the handholds broke off in his grasp.

Without thinking Taylor dropped to his knees, his hand lashing out and clasping tightly around Jake's wrist, hauling him up to the ledge and releasing him so he could roll up onto the top himself.

He wiped his hand quickly on the back of his t-shirt, frowning at the clammy warmth of his palm. "Damn… nice moves, Boy Scout." Jake panted, groaning as he rose to his feet.

Taylor hummed noncommittally, frowning at the unfamiliar tingling in his hand. To distract himself, he glanced around, his breath catching as he peered out into the horizon. "Even I have to admit…" he said quietly. " _Despite_ how much I hate it, this place does _sometimes_ have the ability to take my breath away."

Jake was quiet for a moment, before snorting quietly. "Heh, 's the radiation." He teased, as Taylor laughed, glad for the distraction. "Ya right though… 's one helluva sight. An' hey, bonus… no weird lights in the sky." He chuckled.

"Hmm, give it time." Taylor said dismissively, raising a brow when Jake stepped back and wobbled precariously. "What's that?" He wondered, moving closer in his curiosity.

"I dunno…" Jake murmured, stepping back and dropping into a crouch, narrowing his eyes as he dragged his fingers along a straight line in the loose dirt. "Hey, lookit…" he said, prying a metal sign loose from the rock. 

"Huh, looks like… some kind of sign?" He asked, crouching down and leaning in to look for himself.

"I guess…" Jake hummed dubiously. "Ain't no writin' or nothin'... kind looks like, some kinda wolf?" He said uncertainly, tilting his head to try and look from a different angle, before looking up at Taylor with a frown. "Ya reckon 's part o' the resort?"

Taylor shook his head. "There's no wolves on La Huerta," he said confidently, ignoring Jake's brow rising in surprise. "I don't know what it could mean, which probably means it's something pretty bad…" he trailed off, looking up to find Jake's face much too close to his own, his clear eyes seeming to see _far_ too deep into him. "Uh," he coughed, his face warming as Jake continued to scrutinise him curiously. 

He stood abruptly, his gut twisting as he turned away and quietly tried to suck in as many deep breaths as he could manage. He stared out across the valley, his heart thudding violently in his chest. "Hey, Boy Scout…"

He flinched away from Jake's voice, too unnerved by their previous close proximity. "Look!" He cried, pointing excitedly down into the valley, to an oddly solid grey lump, nestled among the trees. "Beside the river… a grey building," he said, shivering and sidestepping to put more distance between himself and the pilot as Jake moved closer to the ledge and peered down into the valley himself.

"Well, if that ain't a shelter, ya can go ahead an' call me Jared Leto," he marvelled.

"Huh, you know I was wondering about that… I _thought_ you looked simila-"

"Hey, I do _not_ look like Jared Leto!" Jake countered irritably, his angry scowl fading as Taylor laughed. "... ya got a good eye, Boy Scout. Nice job." He said, sobering Taylor as he glanced back at him. "Say… ya wanna go rock climbin' 'gain sometime? 'Fore I fly back?" Jake asked after a moments pause, angling his body towards Taylor's.

Taylor's heart leapt at the idea of more climbing, but a greater part of him recoiled. He recalled Jake's face, so close to his as they'd examined the strange sign; and his eyes shuttered closed. "No." He said quietly, glancing over at Jake and feeling immensely guilty at the startled look of rejection on the pilots face. "I'm sorry…" he said abruptly, overwhelmed by an unfamiliar desire to soothe the painful rejection. He swallowed thickly, looking out over the very again. "I _can't._ " He said tightly.

"Boy Scout…" Jake began, reaching hesitantly for his shoulder.

Taylor flinched away, shaking his head and gasping for breath as he leapt down from the ledge without looking, gripping a handhold and flinging himself across to a nearby foothold, slightly further down the cliff. Like a lone acrobat with no net and no follow up acts. " _Boy Scout!_ " Jake yelled after him, but Taylor didn't stop. He leapt, climbed and swung himself to the bottom of the cliff face in half the time it took him to climb up, briefly casting a regretful look up at the pilot; who was staring down at him in disbelief, before he took off running, heading back to the group and _praying_ that he have himself back under control by the time he found them.


	5. Cut & Run

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! Sorry if this isn't as good, I have my idea plotted but it's not always easy to word 😅
> 
> Thanks for all your support ❤  
> Please lemme know what you think!
> 
> x My love to you all x

**Primal**

Diego smiled as he and Quinn split off from the group, sensing Taylor's gaze on his back as they pushed through the jungle towards the sound of rushing water. He knew Taylor would give him hell later, but it would be worth it to think he got to have some fun for once.

"Thanks for coming with me, Diego," Quinn said cheerfully, interrupting his thoughts. "It's much less scary, and a lot more fun, hiking through the jungle whe you're with a friend."

Diego grinned. "Heh, in the words of my sullen best friend," he said, clearing his throat and adopting his best Taylor impression. " _ It's not safe… nobody should be alone in the jungle! _ " He managed to choke out, before he dissolved into giggled with Quinn.

"He's really protective of you, isn't he?" Quimm asked curiously, as Diego smiled and shrugged his shoulder fondly.

"I guess…" he said warmly. "I dunno if you heard earlier, but, we basically grew up together like brothers, so… I suppose he takes being a  _ big brother _ seriously." He huffed.

"He's older than you?" She asked, twisting the end of a long red tendrils of hair around her finger distractedly.

"Hmm, I don't actually  _ know _ to be honest _ , _ " Diego admitted, frowning briefly, before breaking out in a sunny grin. "He insists he is, and I have no way to prove otherwise… and no reason to doubt him. I don't actually know when his birthday is, I just kind of… made one up." He laughed, shaking his head at the confession.

Quinn frowned. "Doesn't  _ he _ know?" She asked curiously, biting her lip as Diego raised a brow at her interest.

"Taylor…" he began, hesitating as he tried to find the right words to explain. "Well, he doesn't talk about his early childhood… I don't know if he even  _ remembers _ it. I've never asked." He admitted, his brow furrowing. "He used to have nightmares when he was really little… he's really averse to people touching him, so I couldn't do a lot, but sometimes be would let me hold his hand for a couple of minutes… and he quieted down a lot after he discovered music." He laughed quietly at the memory, recalling Taylor's initial hesitancy with the headphones for his music player, before he finally seemed to relax and enjoy it.

"That's so sad…" Quinn said, her eyes watering as she puffed out her cheeks and visibly tried not to cry.

"Oh, no! I-I didn't mean to..!" Diego babbled guiltily, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. "I mean,  _ he  _ actually kind of prefers it this way, I think, so… heh, don't let him ever hear you say that!"

"Oh, I don't mean…" Quinn sniffed, laughing quietly as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "I uh… I didn't really have a normal childhood myself." She said, biting her lip hesitantly. "I mean, not in the same way… just, well, I couldn't play outside or run around or… any of the  _ normal _ kid things." She explained quietly.

"Huh," Diego mused thoughtfully, sensing the topic of  _ why _ was too sensitive to broach just yet. "So… I guess, this is your first chance to really experience outdoors then?" He asked, returning Quinn's grateful smile easily, as they each walked around opposite sides of a patch of ferns. 

"It is… and I love it!" Quinn giggled brightly, twirling around as the subject of her past was left behind them. " _ Hee hee! _ How about  _ you _ , Diego? Is this  _ your _ kind of vacation?"

Diego sighed, frowning as he considered how to answer. "If you had asked me that two weeks ago, well, back then I was  _ all _ about the air conditioning and the high speed internet life…" he said slowly. "But, ever since I got that letter, telling me that we won a place each? I dunno, it's like… the wild, untamed outdoors was calling me." He said, biting his lip nervously for a moment, before throwing all caution to the wind and continuing. "To be honest… Taylor and I have always said we wanted to go out and travel the world, to live life as if it were one big adventure… I felt like,  _ this _ would be a good place to start."

Quinn smiled, raising a brow curiously. "And Taylor? Did he feel the same?" She asked, blinking in surprise when Diego snorted loudly in response. 

" _Pfft,_ no." He scoffed, shaking his head and sighing as he frowned down at his shoes. "He absolutely _freaked_ when I told him… then he spent all week pleading with me not to come. He disappeared the night before we left; and I was sure that he was gone for good… but then, there he was; the last place he wanted to be, on a plane to an island which, he apparently hates." He huffed.

"Hates?" Quinn asked, frowning herself at the strange behaviour. "Has he ever been here before?" She wondered aloud.

"No, he can't of." Diego said dismissively, glancing over at Quinn and pausing briefly, before hesitantly explaining. "Taylor… doesn't have a passport. Hell, technically he doesn't exist. I saw him foraging in a trash can for food by my school one day and I gave him my apple… my folks never technically  _ adopted _ him, they didn't always strictly  _ know _ he was staying over, either. Sometimes he would climb in through my window, and I'd find him under my bed or something." He said, his lip twitching fondly despite a deep sadness in his hearts as he recalled sometimes waking in the middle of the night, to find the small, lost boy, curled beneath his bed. "So,  _ technically… _ " he trailed off, sighing as he swatted a branch and then frowned when it bounced back and hit him in the face. "...  _ ow _ ."

"Technically, he has no birth certificate, or any other kind of paperwork?" Quinn guessed, nodding her head and frowning as she made her own connections. "So then, why was he so against you coming? He couldn't have known about the hotel or the missing staff and guests or anything... could he?"

"I don't see how…" Diego sighed, shaking his head. "I dunno, I think it's just because so little is known about La Huerta in general. He panics about little things… so a whole island where  _ numerous _ things could go wrong? It'd probably be his worst nightmare." He reasoned, shifting uncomfortably as a small slither of guilt gnawed at him for being so insistent about coming.

"Hmm, I guess that makes sense… especially if you're someone who is important to him." Quinn said with a smile. "Who knows, maybe when you get back to that air-conditioning and high speed lifestyle, he'll be totally back to normal!"

Diego rolled his eyes. "Honestly,  _ normal _ Taylor is probably something I will never see." He huffed, frowning thoughtfully. "It's weird… you would think he would love this place. He loves trees, or climbing them anyway."

"Well, maybe he'll be a bit happier after he gets back from climbing with Jake!" Quinn suggested brightly.

"Uh," Diego sincerely doubted it, after he'd essentially had to bully him into going, but he wasn't about to dash Quinn's optimism. "Maybe," he coughed awkwardly, smiling shyly as they continued through the dense jungle.

"Hey, Diego..?" Quinn asked a short time later, biting her lip and glancing across at him uncertainly.

"Hmm?" Diego replied, raising his brows curiously.

"You said… before, that Taylor is averse to people touching him," she said slowly, glancing at him apologetically. "I just wondered… do you know why?"

Diego shrugged. "No, not specifically." He said, examining his shoes thoughtfully. "I have an idea, but, I'm not sure if it's right." He admitted hesitantly. "Taylor…" Diego paused, biting his lip as the words hovered in his throat, before he quickly swallowed them down again. "He has some  _ major _ hard core boundaries, but… he's a good person. Really,  _ really _ deep down…" he said instead.

Quinn nodded, but didn't press for him to explain. "Do you think he'll  _ ever _ open up?" She asked instead, glancing over with an unmistakable, hopeful gleam in her eyes.

Diego sighed heavily. "I… don't think so." He confessed quietly, feeling irrationally guilty when Quinn's face fell. "It's taken him sixteen years just to learn to accept fleeting touches from  _ me _ … I think, unless something drastic happens, well…" he trailed off uncomfortably and Quinn nodded in understanding, the subject falling away like an autumn leaf from a tree.

"You know, we actually kinda came here for the same reason!" Quinn enthused a short time later. "It's the first vacation I've ever been on without my parents or… uh,  _ ahem _ ," she coughed, giggling awkwardly ad Diego smiled and pretended not to notice whatever slip she felt she had made. "Well, I came here because  _ I  _ wanted to see the world too! And now… I never, ever want to leave!"

Diego laughed. "If we don't find the staff, you may get your wish." He sniggered as Quinn turned in a circle, her fingertips brushing against the leaves. "I will admit though," he added, looking up into the canopy and smiling softly at the tiny slips of sunlight which filtered through to warm his face. "It  _ is  _ nice to get away from everything. At least for a little while."

"Is that why you came with me?" Quinn asked, smiling at Diego warmly. "To get away?"

Diego snickered. "Actually, it was kind of mean on my part… Taylor can't swim, so he'll go out of his way to avoid any kind of water that isn't a simple shower." He admitted with a guily shrug. "The only chance I had of getting him to go with Jake was to say I was going with you. It's the only place he wouldn't follow me."

"Oh, that's  _ wicked _ !" Quinn giggled, biting her lip as if she felt guilty in finding amusement in the fact. "But, I suppose I can understand how Taylor would hate being on an island, if he doesn't like the water..."

"Hmm," Diego hummed thoughtfully, pushing away another small nibble of guilt and grinning over at Quinn. "But hey, on the plus side; after trudging through a hot, sweaty jungle… I get to chill at a waterfall  _ and _ make a new friend." He said shyly.

"Awww," Quinn giggled, linking her arm through Diego's and nudging him with her hip playfully. "I am  _ so _ down for that!" She agreed cheerfully, beaming at him as he blushed and stumbled over his own feet, falling through a thicket of ferns; and landing on soft sand.

" _ Kff _ ... _ kff _ ," he coughed, shaking his head and grimacing as he brushed sand from his tongue, sitting himself up and staring around in surprise at a beautiful lagoon; complete with sparkling waterfall. "Oh…" he breathed, looking around in awe.

" _ Wow! _ " Quinn cried, eagerly jumping over Diego and tearing off her blouse, slipping off her jeans and tossing them into a pile by the ferns. " _ Hee hee _ , now we know where the trail is!" She said innocently, twirling around in her bikini and sighing contently.

Diego laughed, unbuttoning his shirt and hesitating before removing it, remembering the  _ last _ time he'd been on a beach with Quinn and deciding it was probably better to just accept he was going to get wet. He quickly shimmied out of his trousers as Quinn darted down the beach, poking her toes into the water before stepping in fully. " _ Ooooh! _ " She giggled gleefully. "The waters warm!"

"And wow, it's so clear..!" Diego admired, walking down at a slower, more sedate pace. "You can see right through to the… hey," he paused, narrowing his eyes at a soft glimmering in the water. "What's that?" He wondered aloud, bending down and picking up something from the sandy bottom of the pool. Something small and shiny. Diego frowned, carefully examining a gleaming, gold coin; deeply inlaid with an ominous skull and crossed swords behind it.

"For real?" Quinn laughed, beaming as she leaned over Diego's shoulder and grinned down at the coin. "Is that…  _ pirate gold _ ?!"

"It had damn well better be, because this is the  _ coolest _ thing I have ever found…" Diego retorted, grinning down at his find proudly, before slipping it into the pocket of his swimming trunks.

"Does that include Taylor?" Quinn asked with a playful giggle.

Diego feigned a thoughtful frown. "Depends how he's behaving when you ask me." He finally laughed, shaking his head fondly as he swung his eyes with excited restlessness. "But  _ seriously? _ How  _ cool _ is that? I mean, who else  _ but _ pirates would put skulls and swords on their currency?!"

"Do you really think it's real?" Quinn laughed as she shook her head, strolling casually through the water. "Ot could just be a prop of some kind, and Johnny Depp might jump out and make off with you any second! Stealing you away as his booty!" She giggled.

"Oh man, don't get my hopes up like that…" Diego whined, looking around semi-hopefully for the dashing pirate to sweep him off his feet.

"Oh, Diego…" Quinn laughed, glancing up as she stepped right up to the waterfall, tentatively touching her fingers to the cascading water, before stepping under it and running her fingers up over her hair.

Diego stepped closer to her in the shimmering water, smiling innocently as their eyes met. "Quinn…" he said, fighting to stop himself from outright grinning as she smiled back at him curiously.

" _ Yeaahh..? _ " She replied, raising a brow as she basked beneath the water.

"There's something I wanna do…" he said slowly, biting his lip and glancing away as Quinn blushed suddenly. "But, well, I'm a little nervous about it…" he admitted with a barely repressed snigger.

Quinn bit her lip, her toes dragging through the crystal clear water as she stepped closer slowly. "Well… if there's one thing I've learnt," she said shyly, peeking up at him from beneath her lashes. "It's that you should live  _ every _ moment, like it might be your last."

"Well," Diego mused, biting his lip as Quinn leaned slightly closer on her tiptoes. "In  _ that _ case…" he said, finally snorting with laughter as he splashed a big handful of water into her face.

"Wh…  _ wha _ ..?!" Quinn gasped, blinking and wiping the water from her face, as Diego practically doubled over laughing. "Oh..! You're gonna  _ pay _ for that!" She laughed, grinning deviously and taking off after Diego as he sloshed through the water, barely avoiding the huge splashes which Quinn repeatedly aimed at him.

Finally, Quinn caught up to him, the pair of them crashing into the water with an enormous splash, surfacing to laugh at one another. "How come every time we hang out, we end up in the water?" Quinn laughed, reaching up to wring out her long red hair.

Diego laughed, shaking his own head like a wet dog to day his own hair. "Fate? Destiny?" He sniggered unhelpfully. "A mutual love of splashing?"

" _ Hmm _ , well at least it means I always have a friend to play in the water with!" Quinn giggled, smiling as Diego tried to knock some water from his ear. "Do you want some help?" She offered, extending her hand to him.

Diego grinned and narrowed his eyes at her playfully, before gently shaking his head. "Nah, it's okay, I-" he trailed off, looking around and blinking in confusion. "Hey, do you hear that?" He asked, holding up his finger and cocking his head, trying to locate the source of the hollow whistling he'd heard, while Quinn nodded distractedly, looking around them with a small frown. 

"Is that… is that coming from  _ behind _ the waterfall?" He asked incredulously. 

"I think so!" Quinn agreed, her eyes wide with excitement as they hurried closer to the cascading water together, pushing through the curtain of water to find a tunnel on the other side. 

"Oh wow," Diego breathed, his face splitting into an awed grin. "There's a whole passageway  _ through  _ the mountain… and hey, look!" He said, pointing excitedly. "Do you see that? On the other side?" He asked, turning to Quinn with a bright grin.

Quinn squinted through the gloom of the passageway, to the lush jungle on the far side. "Looks like a… building?" She said uncertainly, before gasping and gripping Diego's arm in realisation. "Oh, oh,  _ oh! _ The shelter!" 

"Huh, I can't believe we actually found it…" Diego laughed quietly, shaking his head and grinning over at Quinn fondly. "Who would have thought? Goofing off  _ can _ be good for you!"

Quinn laughed, nudging his arm playfully as she made her way back to their clothes, brushing off as much sand as possible, before pulling them back on. "Ah, well… back to reality, huh?" She said, watching Diego clumsily try to pull his own clothes on. "I mean, we should let the others know that we found the shelter at least…"

"Oh, man… Taylor is gonna  _ love _ this," Diego snorted, grimacing as he imagined Taylor's reaction to having to pass by a waterfall.

He noticed Quinn watching him quietly for a long pause, but it wasn't until he was buttoning his shirt, that she hesitantly spoke. "Diego…" she said slowly. "You don't have to tell me, if it's too personal, but…" she paused, her cheeks puffing outward as she pursed her lips uncertainly.

"What is it, Quinn?" Diego asked, frowning as he buttoned his top button under his neck, smoothing his shirt down and tucking it neatly into his jeans.

"Well…" she began, pausing briefly, before closing her eyes and pressing on. "You said before, you had an idea about something to do with Taylor… and, I was wondering what it was. I mean," she forced a small, sad chuckle. "I don't think he likes me very much, so, I don't think it will ever come up between us but…"

"It's not that he doesn't like you," Diego argued gently. "I mean, he doesn't like  _ anyone _ , but, he's surprised me by being nice to you a few times now… Taylor doesn't  _ do _ nice, so, he must like you a little at least… somewhere really,  _ really _ deep down…" 

Quinn laughed, rolling her eyes as they set off on the path back to the others. "Well, maybe I'll make him some cupcakes one day… bribe him to like me a little more!" She giggled. She glanced over at Diego, who was staring at the floor distractedly as they walked. "Hey, I'm sorry… I shouldn't have asked-"

"Hmm?" Diego looked up, blinking in surprise at his surroundings before blushing guiltily. "Oh, sorry! Heh," he coughed, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. "It's okay, I just… I dunno, I've never been brave enough to bring it up with him, not because he'll laugh at me for being wrong but…"

"But because you worry that you're right, and you don't wanna hurt him?" Quinn guessed softly, smiling at Diego warmly. "Well, I think you're a really great brother, to be so considerate. Just incase he never tells you himself." She said, grinning at Diego warmly.

Diego nodded, but didn't laugh, too distracted by the thoughts which he usually tried to keep at bay. "Diego?" He looked up at the sound of his name, his eyes meeting Quinn's as she looked over at him worriedly. "Diego… what  _ is _ it?"

Diego sighed, debating for a half a second, before deciding to voice his theory about his best friend for the first time. " I think…" he said thickly, swallowing tightly and exhaling a sharp breath. "... I think he almost died." He admitted in a low whisper, his lips trembling and his eyes watering at the thought, as they always did.

Quinn gasped, but seemed to sense that Diego couldn't say anything more; and that there was nothing she could say to help at that moment. Instead, she reached over and squeezed his hand tightly in her own, giving silent comfort for the remainder of the walk back to the rest of their group.

They returned to find the others waiting for them, minus one very notable exception. "Uh... where's Taylor?" Diego asked, his thrist tightening nervously as he watched Jake lift a shoulder in a sulky shrug, his hands stuffed into his pockets as he leaned against a tree.

"Dunno," he said frankly, as Diego tensed and glanced around the area quickly. "One second we're talkin' at the top o' the cliffs, next… dumbass 'lil mountain goat he is, he jus'," Jake made a rough bobbing motion with his hand, which considering Taylor's tendency, was relatively easy for Diegi to translate.

"Oh… he ran off." He guessed, sighing with an odd mix of resignation and relief, as Jake scowled at him. "Well, uh... it's not uh,  _ you _ ?" Diego offered weakly, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.

"I don't care  _ what _ it is, what I don't get, is how the hell he didn't break his damn fool neck!" Jake snarked, turning away and glaring into the nearby trees. "He weren't nothin' but a damn dust cloud by the time I climbed down, so I dunno if he hurt himself or what-"

"Oh, I'm sure he's just fine." Diego muttered, looking up into the canopy and folding his arms over his chest. 

"How the hell'd ya know?" Jake demanded hotly. "For all  _ you _ know, he might be layin', bleedin' somewhere, an' can't get back here..!" 

Diego glanced over at Jake, his lip twitching with amusement. "You're  _ really _ worried about him, aren't you?" He asked, his lips finally curling into a grin as Jake's cheeks dusted pink beneath his stubble.

"What?  _ Naw _ ," the pilot scoffed, narrowing his eyes and jerking his head aside, glaring petulantly into the jungle foliage. "I ain't got not reason to  _ worry _ 'bout him or  _ no one _ . I don't care-"

Diego sighed and rolled his eyes. " _ Taylor _ !" He yelled, lifting his eyes to the canopy again with an exasperated scowl. "You see how you worried him? Get down here  _ now _ and say you're sorry!" He demanded, narrowing his eyes at the still canopy. "I said  _ now _ , assbutt!"

"Uh, ya alright there?" Jake asked slowly, eyeing Diego dubiously. "'Cause I'm pretty sure-" 

Diego snorted as the rest of the group looked up suddenly, startled by the sound of rustling in the leaves high above them. He rolled his eyes as Taylor swung himself out of his perch, rounding under the branch and dropping to the floor with a soft  _ thud. _ He immediately stomped over and clipped Taylor around the ear, scowling at him in exasperation. "What happened to  _ be nice _ ?" He demanded, his eyes running over Taylor despite his assertions of his safety.

Taylor glowered at his friend, raising a hand to his ear and rubbing the area petulantly. "I  _ was _ nice," he bit out, glancing over at Jake's stunned expression, before quickly looking away again, his insides squirming uncomfortably. "How was your  _ waterfall _ ?" He sneered.

"Don't you try to distract me," Diego retorted hotly, waving an accusatory finger under Taylor's nose. "You say sorry to Jake for worrying him like that! He was  _ really _ upset, thinking you might be hurt somewhere."

Taylor glared at Diego defiantly, stubbornly locking his jaw together. He narrowed his eyes when Diego raised a challenging brow, finally relenting and glancing back at the pilot. "I'm fine." He muttered sullenly, stuffing his hands in his pockets before glaring mutinously at his best friend.

Diego laughed in exasperation, his expression melting from angry to relieved. "And  _ that _ is as close to a  _ sorry _ as you're gonna get, Jake." He huffed, nudging Taylor playfully as he scowled and stepped away.

"Weren't lookin' for no sorry, anyhow." Jake murmured, looking away as Taylor fidgeted guiltily and cast him awkward looks.

"Great," Taylor muttered, scowling at Diego distrustfully as his friend frowned at him. "Can we  _ go _ now?" He demanded petulantly.

Diego sighed and rolled his eyes, while Taylor turned up the volume on his music player and pointedly ignored everyone. He'd climbed into one of the trees shortly after fleeing from Jake and the cliffs, hoping that some added distance would help him to alleviate the strange and unpleasant twisting in his gut. The pilots closeness, the easy banter, the offer of climbing again… it was all just  _ too much _ . Too familiar.

Too  _ intimate. _

He'd turned his music to full, slowly calming his nerves and soothing his hastened pulse. He'd made his way through the tree branches, enjoying the height and the freedom of being practically invisible to anyone nearby, even the rest of the group… perhaps especially from the rest of the group. When he'd found Aleister, waiting impatiently for the rest of them to return, he'd settled himself to also wait; he just, hadn't announced himself.

Lila had been the first to return, though Aleister had barely paid her any mind. So too, Taylor had quite easily ignored her. Jake however, had made the uncomfortable squirming in his gut return. The pilot had not responded to any of Lila's concerned queries, not to any of Aleister's mildly interested barbs. Instead, he'd leaned against the tree Taylor was perched in high above him; and stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets, ignoring any and all attempts to converse with him. Truthfully, Taylor had seriously debated whether to come down at Diego's insistent calling, but he'd been too concerned about his friends safety to ignore him. 

He ran his eyes over Diego again as the others talked around them, tipping his chin toward him tentatively. "What'd you find?" He asked guardedly, hunching his shoulders defensively when Diego raised a brow at him.

"How do you know I found anything?" He asked suspiciously, eyeing Taylor with an odd look which made his insides squirm almost as much as Jake and his…  _ closeness. _

Taylor shrugged, breaking out in a lopsided grin. "Like you could  _ ever  _ keep a secret from me." He snickered fondly, the tension easing in his shoulders as he confirmed that Diego was okay, unhurt and as...  _ Diego, _ as he ever was.

Diego huffed and pulled a shiny object from his pocket. Taylor hummed, looking at the coin thoughtfully. "Damn…" he said, wondering just how long it had actually been on the island. He flicked his eyes up to Diego's, a lopsided grin on his face as he wiggled his eyebrows. "Did you guys see Johnny Depp?"

Diego laughed and rolled his eyes. "No, sadly… but you know, you and Quinn apparently think alike, because she made almost exactly the same joke," he chuckled innocently, winking when Taylor's grin dissolved into a frown.

"We don't think alike." He said firmly, eyeing Diego dubiously, who rolled his eyes and sighed at his friends defensive behaviour. 

"Come on, dude, you  _ know  _ I didn't mean it like-"

"Hey, keep up guys! We should be there any second, thanks to the helpful directions Jake and Quinn gave me!" Lila called back to them, distracting Diego from whatever reassurance he'd been about to make.

Taylor edged away, using the distraction as a chance to slip away from his friend and hang back, fiddling with his music player and pretending not to notice Diego's sigh of resignation when he turned back and realised he'd slipped away.

_ Great, now Diego thinks I'm jealous. _ He thought sourly, kicking at a loose rock amid the ferns.  _ Which I'm  _ **_not_ ** _. I mean, that would be dumb… he's my best friend, my  _ **_brother_ ** _ , I have no reason to be jealous of some… friend.  _ He thought gruffly, shaking his shoulders and huffing with annoyance at Diego's tendency to overthink.  _ Things could be a lot easier, if I explained… _ he mused, turning his head to stare at the passing trees vacantly.  _ But, then again… how would I even  _ **_begin_ ** _..? _

Taylor sighed wearily, closing his eyes and listening to his music as he trudged reluctantly after the others. His brow furrowed slowly, his skin prickling and his palms warming, becoming clammy as the air around him seemed to change dramatically. Hie eyes peeled open slowly, darting around the jungle in rising suspicion, as he  _ sensed _ a wrong wrongness somewhere nearby.

But what? And where?

Taylor ignored the others as they chatted and laughed, all basking in Diego's pride about his pirate treasure; and he wondered distantly if any of them had any idea it was  _ real. _ He looked up into the trees, frowning as he turned around, walking backwards as he slowly lifted his hand and  _ lowered _ the volume on his music player.

"Wow, good job finding this place everyone!" Lila exclaimed cheerfully, as the group came to a halt. Taylor glanced back at them all with a frown, noting the dull grey stone peeking through the green of the jungle, before returning his attention to the rainforest. 

"Yeah, uh, I… don't think I'd go popping the champagne just yet," Diego said slowly, his expression dubious as he eyed the building warily. "Amyome else getting some serious  _ Twenty Eight Days Later _ vibes off of this place?"

Quinn stood beside him, her own expression doubtful as she examined the building. "It does look a little…  _ dilapidated _ ." She conceded, squeezing Diego's arm gently as Taylor flashed them a brief glance. "Just, how old  _ is _ this place?" She asked.

"It's no older than the resort," Lila replied, frowning at the building disapprovingly. "I am going to have some  _ serious _ words with the caretakers." She said brightly, repainting her smile on her lips. 

"Whole point o' shelter's keepin' ya safe  _ inside _ ," Jake said gruffly, the first time Taylor had heard him speak since he had, at Diego's insistence, apologised. "Ain't 'bout lookin' good  _ outside. _ " He said, tipping his head toward the shelter as Taylor glanced back at him. "C'mon, let's-"

"No." Taylor said, the group startling and turning back to him as he glared into the jungle behind them. "We should go back to the hotel.  _ Now. _ " He said firmly, his eyes flitting from tree to tree, from fern to fern; suspicious of every slightest movement.

"What?" Diego balked, frowning and making his way over to Taylor, while Jake hovered close beside him, casting a wary look over the forest which Taylor appeared to be scowling at. "We just  _ got _ here… why the hell would we go back without even-?"

"It's not safe." Taylor interrupted, narrowing his eyes into the shadows of the deepest reaches of the jungle. "We can't go in there, this whole place is… it's  _ wrong _ . We need to leave.  _ Now _ -"

" _ Enough,  _ Taylor!" Diego hissed, narrowing his eyes at Taylor when he blinked and turned towards him in surprise. "Enough suspicion, enough being a jerk and running off, enough  _ sulking _ !" He said firmly, running a hand through his hair as most of the group stepped back and looked away awkwardly, save for Jake, who was looking around the forest thoughtfully himself. "Just… look, I  _ know _ , you didn't want to come, okay? So I'm  _ sorry _ that I made you come somewhere you hate, I'm sorry that something happened to the staff… but just  _ stop _ with the overprotective,  _ everything is a threat _ … thing." He ranted, finishing lamely as he shifted his weight between his legs and looked at his friend awkwardly.

"That's not-" Taylor began to counter, only for Diego to groan and turn away.

"Yes it  _ is _ , Taylor! It  _ always _ is!" He sighed, running his hands over his hand and down his neck as he stared at the shelter. "I love you like a brother, Taylor… but you  _ have _ to let me live my life  _ a little, _ dude," he said in a weary tone.

Taylor looked away, gritting his teeth and balling his fist so tightly that his nails bit into his palms. He didn't respond as Diego moved away with Quinn, making no further effort to warn or detain them.  _ Why bother, if my help is such a hassle _ ? He wondered, scoffing quietly to himself.  _ I should never have come to this stupid island… who knows, maybe my coming is what caused all this- _

"He don't mean it, ya know?" Jake's quiet drawl startled him, his eyes flicking over to the pilot and running over him quickly, surprised to discover he had let himself become so distracted that he hadn't noticed his presence beside him. "He's freaked out, an' ya the most important person in his life… means ya gonna get a darn sight more o' that, 'fore this vacation's over…"

Taylor frowned, averting his eyes to the jungle to avoid the strangely understanding gaze of the other man. "He meant it." He said, sighing quietly. "He always means it." He added, his voice dropping even lower as he recalled the look of guilt and anger in his friends usually kind eyes.

"He don't." Jake chuckled, has hair dragging softly against his jacket, as he shook his head slowly. "Trust me, 'lil brother or 'lil sister… the tantrums're all the same. When they're scared, when they're angry or hurtin'...  _ you're  _ the one they lash out at."

Taylor frowned at the ground briefly, before hesitantly lifting his eyes to Jake's and regarding him warily.  _ He has a sibling. _ He thought, his dark blue eyes locking onto Jake's clear gaze.  _ But… he doesn't want to talk about them. _ He realised, noting the pilots tense posture, the sweat beading on his brow and the tight press of his lips.

He looked away, searching the jungle again. "You noticed." He said, unsubtly changing the subject and allowing Hake to relax his taut posture.

Jake swallowed thickly, seeming to take half a heartbeat to recover, before nodding sharply. "Aye. Jungle were full o' life, critters an' shit, chirpin' like crazy…" he said, narrowing his eyes into the rainforest, just as Taylor had. "Now 's dead silence. Ain't never a good sign."

Taylor felt his shoulders sag with relief, his eyes burning as he closed them and inhaled a deep breath slowly. "He won't believe me if I tell him." He said quietly, his heart aching at Diego's hurtful words. "But I guess I can't blame him… he doesn't understand."

"So, why don'tcha tell 'im?" Jake asked curiously. "He can't understand it, if he don't have all the intel, ya know?" He pressed gently.

"I… wanted to, once." Taylor admitted hesitantly, swallowing thickly as he slowly opened his eyes and gazed longingly into the jungle. "But, I can't. I can't tell anyone, can't explain, can't…" he drew in a deep breath and sighed heavily, glancing over at Jake thoughtfully. "Did you ever have a secret? One… one you couldn't tell  _ anyone _ ?" He asked, biting his lip and eyeing the pilot uncertainly. 

Jake looked away, his throat moving uneasily as he swallowed tightly and stared at the floor. "I uh," he coughed, glancing away before hesitantly flicking his gaze at Taylor. "I-" he muttered, his eyes darting away again and refusing to return to Taylor's for an extended pause.

"Don't give yourself a hernia, Top Gun. It was just a question, not a trap." Taylor said tightly, his hard shell of indifference slamming back into place abruptly, covering the small, vulnerable part of himself which he'd unwittingly exposed. "Forget it." He said indifferently, turning away. "We should catch up to the others-"

"Wait," Jake said, reaching as if to grab Taylor's shoulder but hesitating and instead barring his way, forcing him to a stop. "I just… I  _ get _ it." He said awkwardly, his clear eyes intent as Taylor met his gaze with a dubious look. "Sometimes, 's like it's chokin' ya… but ya can't tell, ya can't  _ never _ tell."

Taylor continued to look at Jake for another heartbeat, before nodding once and averting his eyes, stepping around him and returning to the back of the group as they tried to pry the doors to the shelter open. "Place looks like 's been locked up for  _ years _ …" Jake frowned as he also rejoined the group.

"Hmm," Taylor agreed distractedly, frowning at Quinn as she brushed past nearby.  _ What on earth is she wearing? _ He wondered, wrinkling his nose.  _ Urgh, I know girls like to smell nice but holy hell, there's such a thing as smelling  _ **_too_ ** _ sweet! _ He huffed, stepping back and stuffing his hands in his pockets, gazing out into the silent forest distrustfully. 

A loud clang behind him, along with a quiet curse from Jake, signaled the opening of the shelter; though no bird so much at fluttered at the sound. Taylor turned, watching Lila push the doors open and reveal a large, open space with worn walls and vines creeping across every surface. He narrowed his eyes, reluctantly following the others inside as sparks fell intermittently from a broken light in the roof.

Immediately, Taylor was forced to cover his nose. The whole shelter  _ reeked _ , though he had no idea what of. It wasn't a scent he could place. He looked over at Jake, intending to ask him his opinion, when he noticed that  _ nobody _ else seemed bothered by the awful smell.

_ Because nobody else  _ **_can_ ** _ smell it… _ he realised with a sinking feeling in his chest, dismay rippling through him as the groups indifference helped him to finally put a name to the terrible smell. His eyes watered with the force of it, his tongue recoiled from the awful taste of it.

_ Fear.  _ He thought with a grimace.  _ The collective fear of how many exactly? _ He wondered, swallowing to clear the rising bile in his throat.  _ More to the point, what were they so scared  _ **_of_ ** _? _ He wondered urgently. 

"... empty." Diego breathed, looking around uneasily.

"Ya know, on second thought, I'm with Pop Culture Petey…" Jake murmured as he strolled cautiously into the shelter, his eyes fixing on the large blast doors at the opposite end of the hall for an extended pause, before turning a slow circle to make note of every potential entry or exit; or potential point of ambush, Taylor assumed. "This place gives me the creeps."

"I finally get a nickname and it's Pop Culture Petey?" Diego protested quietly, pouting over at Taylor and looking away again quickly when he pointedly avoided him. "Everyone else got a cooler one…" he muttered sulkily, flicking an uneasy frown at Taylor's back as he passed by, the back of his hand pressed to his nose.

"Anyone else wanna go back to the pretty jungle with the magic flowers?" Quinn asked tightly, her hand seeking out Diego's as she shivered nervously. "Anyone?" She pleaded quietly.

Taylor ignored them both, his eyes busy as he looked around the shelter twice over, trying not to breath too deeply, before lowering his eyes to the floor. "Top Gun," he said quietly, gesturing at the floor and pointing out the numerous tracks beneath them.

"Good eye, Boy Scout… anyone'd think ya had basic trainin'," Jake murmured approvingly, casting a brief, considering glance over Taylor, who remained utterly stoic and indifferent beneath his scrutiny. The pilot huffed quietly, hunkering down in a crouch and tracing around some of the tracks for the others benefit. "There's a lotta muddy shoe prints 'round…" he said, glancing up at the group and shaking his head as he braced his wrists on his knees. "They seem recent."

"So… you mean the guests  _ were _ here?" Diego asked hesitantly, stepping closer and frowning at Taylor as he turned away without comment, his hand still covering his nose.

Jake sighed and glanced between them, before shaking his head and lowering his eyes to examine the tracks again. "Well,  _ someone _ sure was." He finally concluded.

Taylor ignored them, frowning as he slowly made his way over to a large hole in the wall, narrowing his eyes at an odd skittering, scratching sound which he'd heard. Cold air seemed to clear away some of the awful stench of fear, and he hesitantly lowered his hand as he stepped as quietly as possible, slowly making his way across the shelter.

"Did anyone else hear that?" Diego asked from behind him, his voice a trembling whisper. "Taylor?" He called uncertainly, having noticed his odd, cautious gait. "Hey! I think that noise is coming from in there… so come back  _ here, _ already!" He hissed pleadingly.

Taylor waved him off distractedly, tentatively stepping up to a large hole I the wall, overgrown with thick vines, moss and more glowing flowers. The jungle was working hard to slowly reclaim the shelter. He pressed his back to the wall, peeking into the hole carefully, glancing over at Jake when the pilot mimicked him on the other side of the hole.

"There's something in there…" he whispered, indicating the hole with a small jerk of his thumb. "Something  _ alive _ ." He murmured pointedly, his eyes meeting Jake's as some private understanding passed between them.

Jake nodded once, his clear eyes sharp as he tensed and prepared himself for whatever threat might lay within the hole. 

"Taylor..?" Diego whispered, his voice coloured by uncertainty. Taylor glanced over at him, his friends brows furrowed as he watched him nervously. "Taylor, don't-"

"All of this nonsense is absurd," Aleister said gruffly, noticeably the furthest away from the hole. "Surely it is merely a rat, hiding from  _ us _ ..?" He said, gesturing toward the hole at a faint clicking sound, like claws against rock.

" _ That, _ " Jake countered lowly, shaking his head as he traced a look with Taylor. "Ain't no damn  _ rat _ ." He said confidently, as Taylor nodded his silent agreement.

"Taylor-" Diego whispered, reaching toward him.

"Taylor… is it, you know… that  _ thing _ ?" Quinn asked in a rush, shivering nervously as her eyes darted between the hole and Taylor. "The one from last night..?" She whispered urgently, fear erupting from her in a light, cloying wave.

Taylor wrinkled his nose, shaking his head in silent dismissal as he turned back to the hole. "It's too small…" he murmured, narrowing his eyes as he picked out the shadow of a shape, fidgeting in the darkness. "It's…" he shifted his weight, leaning around the edge of the hole, when the shape within began to scrabble frantically at the rocks, darting through the darkness towards him.

Taylor stepped aside at the last second, a small blue blur launching from the hole and colliding with Lila's chest, knocking her to her ass. " _ Oof! _ " She gasped, blinking as the blue shape squeaked and darted away from her, running across the floor toward Taylor before seeming to freeze suddenly, staring up at him with wide, terrified eyes.

Taylor stared back, raising a brow and cocking his head at the small creature, which mimicked his actions with frightening perfection. " _ Mrrrlk _ ?" It purred uncertainly, sniffing the air in his direction, before yelping and darting away.

"What the-" Diego blurted, reeling back as the blue blur darted across his foot in it's haste to escape. He glanced at Taylor, who stuffed his hands in his pockets and pointedly averted his bored gaze to watch the fox, rather than meet Diego's gaze.

"Oh… my,  _ god _ !" Quinn gushed, looking after the small blue fox which had darted for cover and had found none, instead pressing itself into the furthest corner of the shelter from them. 

"What…  _ is _ it?" Aleister asked, peering after the animal dubiously.

"Uh, it's  _ literally _ the cutest thing I have  _ ever _ seen!" Quinn exclaimed, hurrying after the small, terrified fox.

"'Kay, can we all agree that  _ that _ , ain't a real animal?" Jake demanded, cocking his thumb at the fox as Quinn dropped to her knees before it and tried to coach it into her lap. He watched closely as they approached behind Quinn, who was having no luck in tempting the fox closer. "'S scared, Ariel… give it some space an' leave it be, huh?"

"But what's it so scared of?" Quinn demanded with a small huff, her cheeks puffing out in dismay. "Us?" She scoffed, rolling her eyes and extending her hand towards the fox.

Taylor frowned as they approached the fox, his palms warming, turning clammy as he realised the fox's eyes were fixed somewhere behind them. He tensed, peeking back over his shoulder as his stomach hollowed, bile climbing his throat as his worst nightmare prowled into life before his eyes. "Don't… move." He whispered tersely, thankful when Jake shot him a silent look but discreetly raised a finger to motion the others remain still.

" **_Grrraawwlllll…_ ** " A blood curdling growl erupted from the beast, startling the others, though they thankfully remained still; despite the sight of an enormous cat with huge fangs and spots, slowly stalking towards them.

"That,  _ that! _ " Aleister whispered in a rush, the albino leaning against the wall in an attempt to escape. "It's scared of  _ that _ !" He hissed, staring at the beast in wide eyed disbelief.

"You  _ think _ ?!" Lila gasped back, her bubbly smile lost beneath her terror.

Taylor turned slowly, staring into the face which had haunted his every nightmare for as long as he could remember. Despite the terror clawing at his heart, he portrayed an air of perfect calm, refusing to reveal the extent of his fear. _He_ _doesn't know me…_ he told himself, despite the fact that his fingers had begun to tremble. _He doesn't know me…_ he repeated the mantra desperately in his head, swallowing thickly as he took a single step backwards.

Jake's fingers tentatively curled over his own, his eyes cutting across to him sharply, as the pilot slowly stilled his trembling hand. "'S gonna be alright…" he whispered tightly, his clear eyes clouded by fear, as he looked toward the approaching beast again.

Taylor appreciated the effort, his fingers briefly tightening around Jake's… but he was fairly confident, no greater lie had ever been told.

" **_Grraaawwwwlll…_ ** " Taylor flinched at the awful growl, so much louder, so much worse than his dreams. He met the piercing gaze of the fanged beast, its chest rumbling with its persistent growl, as it paced and stalked them ominously.

" _ Niiiice _ kitty…" Jake said slowly, releasing Taylor's hand as he extended both to the beast. " _ Niiiice _ kitty..!" He repeated, as the east looked at him with an affronted look.

Taylor almost laughed. The idea of  _ that _ cat ever being  _ nice _ was even more ludicrous than the idea of  _ Craig _ winning the Nobel prize.

He glanced sideways at Diego, who was staring at the looming beast with disbelief, his arm before Quinn protectively.  _ How do I get him the hell out of here? _ He wondered, frowning as he looked back at the smug cat.  _ More to the point, how the hell do  _ **_I_ ** _ get out of here _ ?

"This is not possible, it is  _ not  _ possible!" Aleister was chanting, shaking his head firmly as he gripped the wall. "This  _ cannot _ be happening! It makes no  _ logical _ sense!"

"Yeah?" Diego scoffed, backing away with Quinn tucked behind him. "You wanna tell  _ it _ that?!" The timid fox scrambled up Diego's leg, shivering as it perched on his shoulders, pressing its ears flat against its head and hiding its face in his neck. "Uh… okay, I am… not entirely comfortable right now…" he stammered, trying to lean away from the fox.

Taylor longed to reach over and grab his friend, to make sure he could protect him, but just as he had built up his courage to do so, the great feline locked it's eyes on him. He tensed, scowling and ducking his head as he stepped backward slowly. The beast cocked its head, sniffing the air curiously.  _ Did I spray enough _ ? Taylor's panicked thoughts jumbled in his head, obscuring his memory of the morning or anything beyond the terrifying vision before him.

"Taylor…" Diego called nervously, the beasts eyes flicking toward him and narrowing its eyes as it sniffed in his direction.

"Diego, stay back." Taylor said sharply, redrawing the beasts attention to himself. " **_Rraaaugh…_ ** " it hissed, it's hackles rising as it bared its fangs at him.

"Oh god… oh god, oh  _ god… _ " Quinn gasped, huddled against Diego's back as she stared at the beast in horror. "Oh god, Taylor was right… we should have never come in here." She whispered hysterically.

The lumbering beast padded closer, curling it's long tail along its side and hissing at Quinn lowly, its glowing eyes refocusing on Taylor when he thrust out his arm before Diego and Quinn. "Diego… get her to  _ shut up _ ." He muttered slowly, narrowing his eyes at the giant cat as it flicked its tail irritably. 

Diego glanced toward him, before reaching back to squeeze Quinn's hand, making soothing sounds in an attempt to quiet her. 

"That  _ thing _ is blocking the exit!" Lila whispered frantically. "We have to get around it somehow!" She insisted, as they slowly backed away from it as a group.

"Yeah, good luck with that." Jake drawled with sarcastic cheer, tipping his head toward the stalking cat. "Ain't no way we're gettin' 'round Fangs Galore…" he said, his eyes darting, like Taylor's, to the exit of the shelter behind the predator.

"There's the other doors!" Diego hissed quickly, gesturing toward the blast doors a short distance from them; though certainly too far with such a mighty beast on their asses. "Maybe we can get out that way!" He said, looking at Taylor urgently as he continued to scowl at the enormous cat, the head of their group as they steadily backed away.

"I say we make a run for it while we have the opportunity!" Aleister declared firmly, clinging to the wall as he shuffled back with the others. "We can deal ourselves inside and determine a path to escape from there…"

"Ya really think we're gettin' anywhere near them doors?" Jake scoffed disbelievingly, scowling and shaking his head, his long hair brushing against his cheeks. "Ain't no way we can outrun that thing…"

"I really  _ think _ we don't have a choice!" Aleister retorted snidely.

Taylor ignored their bickering, slowly pacing back as the beast simultaneously padded forward, seeming almost to grin at them; toying with them like mice. His hip bumped something protruding from the wall and he chanced a brief look to discover what he'd knocked, blinking at the sight of a fire extinguisher in its safety bracket.

He swallowed thickly, flicking his eyes back up to the prowling beast, watching it's every move as he slowly,  _ slowly _ slid his hand over the fire extinguisher handle. "Get them… to the blast doors." He murmured lowly, lifting the fire extinguisher with painful hesitancy, his eyes locked on the massive cat as it prowled before them and hissed, flashing its fangs at them.

"Boy Scout..?" Jake murmured, his eyes darting toward the fire extinguisher in Taylor's hands. "Ya sure 'bout-?"

"Get… them…" Taylor repeated, hissing the words through his teeth as he slowly shifted his hold on the fire extinguisher and aimed the nozzle at the beast, which had paused and narrowed its eyes at him, as if suspicious of his actions. "To the...  _ goddamn… _ doors!" Jake swallowed thickly at his harsh whisper, but nodded sharply, nudging the others toward the doors discreetly.

" **_Rrraaauggghhh!_ ** " The beast roared, its ears back against its skull as it swung its tail around itself, crouching low on its front paws.

Taylor took another step back, lifting the fire extinguisher at the same time. " _ Taylor _ !" Diego reached for him; and the glowing eyes darted from Taylor to his best friend, its lips pulling back from its powerful jaws in a hiss as it raised its paw.

" _ No _ !" Taylor roared, stepping between the beast and Diego as the mighty paw came down, claws extended. " _ Kff _ !" He coughed, howling with pain as the sharp claws slashed through his side, terror flooding his thoughts as the beast paused and seemed to look at the blood on its paws in surprise.  _ No… no! It can smell- _ his fearful thought was cut off as he aimed the fire extinguisher at the beasts face and blasted it with freezing cold air. " **_Run_ ** _!"  _ He yelled, panting with effort as Jake shoved at the others and forced them to move, herding them to the blast doors.

"Taylor!" Diego called frantically, as Taylor finally turned and fled, the beast blinded in both sight and scent. He stumbled forward, gasping and pressing his hand to his side as he struggled to cross the shelter.

" **_Rrawwrrr_ ** !" The roar echoed through the shelter like a rocket launch. Taylor turned in time to see the beast lunged forward, its massive paw shoving at his chest and pinning him to the floor.

" _ Aaah! _ " Taylor hissed, scowling as he grappled with the beasts paw, trying to shove it away. "Get  _ off of me _ , you overgrown  _ hairball! _ " He snarled, as the beast shook its head and blinked its eyes, still mostly blinded from the blast of the fire extinguisher in its face.

" _ Taylor _ -!" Diego's fearful cries pierced Taylor's heart like a knife, his eyes darting over to the group in the dim hallway beyond, Diego fighting against Quinn and Aleister to reach him.

" _ Seal the fucking doors already! _ " He yelled, returning his attention to the massive predator which currently had him pinned. "I'll be fine! I'll meet you at the Celestial!" He promised, before he screamed loudly; the beasts sharp claws extending forward to press into his chest slowly.

" _ Hey _ ,  _ Buckteeth! _ " Jake's sudden snarl drew the beasts attention, its tail flicking briefly as it raised its head toward the sound of his voice; just as Jake slammed the fire extinguisher into the side of its head.

The pressure on his chest disappeared abruptly. Taylor sagged, his vision spotting with black as he gasped for breath and tried to roll over. " _ Taylor! Come on! _ " He looked at Diego's imploring cry, his shoulders heaving as he grunted and pushed himself to his feet despite the pain he felt.

"C'mon, Boy Scout… this kitty jus' ain't tame enough to play with!" Jake drawled in his ear, grabbing him by the elbow and shunting roughly toward the others. He half dragged Taylor through the doors, dropping him to the floor and turning to help the others slam the doors shut just in time; the beast colliding with the door with a sickening thud, just a second later.

Taylor panted heavily, bracing his arm on the floor to keep his face out of the dirt.  _ He doesn't know me… he doesn't- _ his eyes laid sideways, noticing the fire extinguisher Jake had dropped at the same time as him. Without thinking the idea through, he pulled the red bottle closer, twisting the nozzle around to face himself and blasted his side with a freezing cold jet. 

" **_Aaarrrgggh!_ ** " He howled, the fire extinguisher rolling across the floor as he recoiled away and flipped onto his back. " _ Arghh! _ " He hissed, gripping his hands into tight balls as he tried to silence himself by biting his lip.

"Taylor!" Diego called urgently, his hands nudging at Taylor's wounded side gently. "Oh god, what did you..?! Taylor-"

"Get off of me…" Taylor hissed as he brushed his hands away, panting heavily as his body trembled, the adrenaline of the fight leaving him in a rush, leaving him sagging against the floor as the pain retreated to a lingering prickle, rather than an outright stabbing.

"But, Taylor-" Diego protested, his hands reaching for him again.

"I said  _ get off of me _ !" Taylor snarled, shoving Diego's hands away and rolling onto his side, staggering to his feet and shuffling several steps away from them all, his back to the as he stood hunched by himself. "Just  _ leave me alone _ ," he bit out gruffly, narrowing his eyes as he tried to catch his breath.

Would his eyes have changed? Would something  _ worse _ happen? Would he  _ hurt _ them? Would he hurt  _ Diego _ ?

Taylor couldn't stand the buzzing of questions in his head, the pain in his side and the stress of the encounter making his skin prickle, his heart skipping every other beat as he tried to get a grip on himself.

"Taylor-"

"Hey, Short Stuff… jus' let 'im breath a 'lil, yeah?" Jake said, his boots clicking as he stepped between Taylor and Diego. "Ya said he don't like closed spaces an' all… jus' let 'im figure out what he's feelin', 'kay?"

"But I need to make sure he's okay!" Diego protested, sniffing quietly as Quinn made soothing sounds of comfort. "I need to check his wound, he could be bleeding! I… I…"

"Hey, 's alright, 'kay?" Jake promised quietly, as Taylor closed his eyes tightly and tried to steady his breathing, fumbling with his music player and shoving the volume up to full blast. "Jus' give 'im a coupla seconds… an' let  _ him _ come to  _ you _ ."

A dull roar echoed through the thick metal doors, the beast pacing impatiently on the other side, furious at their escape. "Was quick thinkin' with that fire extinguisher, Boy Scout…" Jake called to him with forced levity, chuckling dryly. "Way to not get us shish-kebab'd on them teeth, huh?"

Taylor huffed a weak, dry laugh, immensely grateful for the pilots distraction. "Huh, don't think I was quite quick enough," he said thickly, rolling his back to the wall and taking a deep breath, exhaling slowly as he leaned back and repeated a mantra in his head.  _ My eyes are blue, my eyes are blue, my eyes are  _ **_blue_ ** _ …  _ he told himself firmly, tilting his face to the ceiling and feeling the tension slowly drain from his body. 

"Taylor…" Diego's worried whine caused him to turn his head, tilting blindly in his friends direction as he tried to put off opening his eyes as long as possible. "Taylor, please…"

"Stop worrying." He said thickly, swallowing heavily as he grunted quietly and pushed himself upright, bracing his hand on the wall and hanging his head. "I'm fine… it's not deep." He said, curling one arm around his stomach and pressing his hand to his side.

"Taylor," Diego pleaded. " _ Please, _ just let me-"

"Urgh,  _ fine _ ." Taylor sighed, holding his breath as Diego's quick footsteps echoed in the darkness, before his fingers tentatively pried at his scratched side. "See? I'm fine. So, can we  _ go _ n-?  _ Oof _ !" He grumbled, frowning as Diego threw his arms around his shoulders, his body trembling against Taylor's.

"Dude, I was so scared…" Diego admitted in a choked whisper, exhaling a shuddering breath as Taylor reluctantly cracked his eyes open, hesitating for an extended pause, before curling his arm around Diego in return. "I thought I was gonna lose you for a second there..!" He rasped, hiccupping as Taylor rolled his eyes.

"You're so dramatic." He sighed, looking down at his hand, awkwardly patting Diego's back. "I'm  _ fine- _ "

" _ You were mauled by a friggin'... a… a _ …" Diego stammered, reeling back to stare at Taylor in furious disbelief, which faltered as he wrinkled his nose in confusion. "What the hell was that thing?" He asked, looking up at Taylor expectantly.

Taylor fidgeted awkwardly, reluctantly meeting his friends gaze, before quickly glancing around the others.  _ No screaming… _ he thought, raising a brow at Diego's unchanged expression.  _ Guess the power of faith won out. _ He snorted quietly, looking away as he stepped back from Diego, wrinkling his nose as his skin prickled.

"Is it not obvious to you  _ neanderthals? _ " Aleister sneered, raising his brow at them all as he swept his hair back into his familiar, smooth style. "That was a  _ Smilodon fatalis. _ " He said with a pointed look at the others.

"A who in the  _ what _ now?" Jake demanded, frowning as Taylor blinked in surprise, shooting the pale man a begrudgingly impressed glance.

Aleister sighed heavily, shaking his head and pinching the bridge of his nose. "A  _ saber tooth tiger. _ " He said, enunciating each syllable clearly.

"Ah, o'  _ course _ . 'S  _ totally _ obvious," Jake sneered sarcastically, clicking his fingers and feigning a look of surprise. "Damn… here I must've just forgotten my spear an'loincloth in my cave, 'cause apparently 's ten  _ friggin'  _ thousand BC!"

"Sabertooth's have been extinct forever, so was that one...  _ cloned _ ?" Quinn asked uncertainly, looking over at Taylor and biting her lip, her eyes darting to his wounded side before quickly looking away.

Diego blinked, cocking his head at Taylor when he raised a brow at him. "Did this vacation just turn into  _ Jurassic Park _ ?" He asked, as Taylor snorted, his lips twitching with distant amusement.

"Of course not," Aleister sighed, rolling his eyes in frustration. "Rourke International is in dozens of different industries, but cloning is  _ not _ one of them..." He explained slowly, sneering around the group imperiously. He hesitated briefly, before he continued, his chin tilted forward defensively. "And furthermore, sabertooths would make this  _ Pleistocene _ Park, not  _ Jurassic _ ." He said, glaring at Diego haughtily. "Congratulations, you're only a  _ hundred and forty million _ years off." He sneered.

"Jesus, Malfoy," Jake sighed, scrubbing glaring st the albino in disbelief, "who the bloody hell  _ cares _ ?" He cried, scrubbing his hands over his face as he turned away, shaking his head and muttering to himself.

"It  _ does  _ matter what we're up against," Taylor said quietly, narrowing his eyes at his hand briefly, before looking at Jake with a raised brow. "A Navy man like you must know that. That thing is just  _ waiting _ for us to go back out there. Knowing what we can about it, might help us avoid it… or preferably kill it." He added, shrugging dismissively. "But avoid will do. I'm easy."

" _ Pfft, _ ya anythin' but bloody easy, Boy Scout." Jake scoffed quietly, shaking his head as Taylor perked slight, grinning and snorting quietly.

"Well, ease aside," he said, exhaling a deep breath and lifting a shoulder lightly. "Unless you wanna be dinner, which I do  _ not _ recommend," he said, pointing to his side with a lopsided grin. "Well, I suggest you take a moment to think things through."

Aleister sniffed quietly, tipping his head in Taylor's direction. "Exactly." He said in a clipped, informal tone. "The facts could make all the difference-"

"Hey, Malfoy, I saw 's damn  _ teeth _ ." Jake sneered, scowling at Aleister irritably. "That's  _ all _ the facts I need."

Taylor sighed. There seemed to be a lot of talking and no escaping going on.

"The good news," Jake said, brushing his hair out of his face as he unsubtly tried to change the subject. "Is that I oughta have enough fuel to get back to the mainland." He said, as Taylor snapped a sharp, hopeful look his way.

"The mainland?" Aleister repeated, blinking in confusion. "What the devil are you talking about?" He demanded, his temper returning.

"You can get us out of here?" He asked gruffly, stepping closer and half extending his hand toward the pilot. "You can get us  _ off  _ La Huerta?" He demanded, a euphoric bubble of hope expanding in his chest.

"Come with me," Jake offered, looking over at Taylor and scrutinizing him thoughtfully.

"Oh, I am  _ so _ all over that." Taylor huffed blissfully, closing his eyes and leaning back against the wall, smiling to himself as the possibility of leaving La Huerta so soon made him dizzy with relief. "You get us off this hellhole, I'll be your friend for life." He promised, as Diego gasped in disbelief and Jake snorted with amusement.

" _ Oh my- _ !" Diego choked, shaking his head in disbelief as Taylor looked over at him and grinned. " _ Pfft, _ try telling me again how you don't have a crush on anyone, Taylor." He sniggered, as Taylor rolled his eyes.

"I don't have a crush on anyone, Diego," he said, narrowing his eyes at his friend playfully when he continued to nudge his uninjured side. "But I'll happily  _ crush _ you into the ground in a second, unless you  _ stop that _ ." He promised with an innocent smirk.

Diego pouted, about to respond when Lila's angry voice distracted them both. "If you wanna go,  _ go!  _ You're not even supposed to  _ be  _ here anyway! But I  _ won't _ let you endanger our guests, just because  _ you're  _ scared!"

Jake looked over at the preppy brunette with a neutral expression, but Taylor saw something dark and  _ knowing  _ in the depths of his clear eyes. "Hey, ya wanna stay, go right 'head, I ain't stoppin' ya." He said, spreading his palms. "But there's things in this world ya  _ should _ be 'fraid o'..."

"Jake, you're overreacting!" Lila insisted, glaring at him reproachfully. "We'll be perfectly safe, just as soon as we get back to the Celestial." She said, giving Jake a pointed look, before smiling around the others brightly. "You guys don't want to miss out on your  _ entire _ vacation, do you?" She asked leadingly.

"Well… no," Diego admitted quietly, flinching guiltily when Taylor shot him a dark scowl.

Lila beamed at Diego, seeming relieved to have persuaded someone into staying. "I'm  _ positive _ that everything will be back to normal, just as soon as -" she insisted, but was interrupted by Jake's disbelieving snort.

"Ya mean, soon as everyone magically reappears?' He scoffed, smirking at the tour guide as her sunny smile faltered. "Soon as ya staff, when they  _ do _ turn up 'gain, can round up the  _ prehistoric predators _ chasin' folk?" Jake shook his head, jabbing an accusatory finger in Lila'a general direction. "I dunno what kinda circus ya runnin' here, Dimples, but it sure as hell  _ ain't _ safe."

"And flying with you  _ is _ ?" Aleister demanded haughtily, glaring across at Jake. "You nearly crashed in that weird storm on the way in! What if that happens again?"

Jake shrugged dismissively. "I'll take me chances." He said lightly, meeting Aleister's angry scowl calmly. "Look, I can't save ya, if ya don't wanna be saved, 'kay?" He said, raising his palms in placation. "Ya wanna get outta here, come with, ya wanna stick 'round with ya thumbs up ya asses, waitin' for a rescue what probably ain't even comin'? Like I said, go right on 'head… I don't  _ care. _ " He said, pausing to glance around and see the effect of his words on the others. "I ain't waitin' 'round to become some dumb tiger's dinner… or  _ yours! _ " 

" _ Mrm _ ?" The blue fox cocked its head curiously, its big, purple eyes blinking up at Jake as he sneered at it.

"Yeah, that's right… ya can't play cute with  _ me _ , bud." The pilot scoffed. "God knows what the hell ya are, an' frankly, I ain't plannin' on bein' 'round long enough to find out!"

"Wh… what about your money?" Lila tried to protest, desperation in her eyes as Taylor scowled at Diego and raised his brows, gesturing toward the pilot furiously. "You haven't been paid yet!"

"Heh, trust me, Tour Guide Barbie," Jake smirked, shaking his head ruefully at her last ditch attempt to sway him. "I spent enough time gamblin', to know when 's time to cut an' run." He chuckled, glancing over at Taylor. "So, lifelong friend, huh? That mean ya gonna start actin' a 'lil more friend _ ly _ now?"

Taylor feigned a scowl toward him. "Don't push it." He said, his lips twitching into a smirk as Jake laughed quietly. He turned back to Diego, his frustration melting away into a pleading grimace. " _ Please _ , Diego… this place is too crazy, I  _ tried _ to tell you!" He implored, even reaching for his friends hand despite the too warm, clammy sensation of his palm. " _ Please… _ let's get the hell off of this hellhole and get you back home."

"Taylor,  _ please _ ," Lila said, shooting him a disapproving look, as if he'd personally let her down. "I'm sure everything will be  _ fine _ once we get back to The Celestial..!"

"At least Taylor's got his head screwed on straight." Jake said, smirking as Taylor raised a brow at him, his lip twitching as Jakw chuckled and winked in acknowledgement. "Ya earned it."

Taylor hummed smugly, preening momentarily at the fact that he'd beaten the pilot at his own dumb game; and so quickly, when he noticed Diego grinning at him and his expression abruptly morphed into a scowl. "What?" He demanded hotly, purposely lifting his chin in defiance and pretending not to notice the odd warmth in his cheeks.

"Oh,  _ nothing _ ," Diego drawled, his shit eating grin only growing at Taylor's obviously flustered state. "Nothing at all,  _ Taylooooor _ ."

"Urgh,  _ Diegooooo _ !" Taylor rolled his eyes, pouted at the far wall as his cheeks warmed further. "You're  _ such _ a-"

"So," Jake's amused drawl cut in, silencing Taylor as he continued to pout in the opposite direction. "What 'bout the rest o' ya'll?" He asked, raising a brow at them all, as they looked in various directions thoughtfully.

Taylor looked at Diego as he sobered, pleading silently with his eyes as his best friend hesitated; and then finally sighed. "You know… I wanted to have my life's big adventure..." Diego said wistfully, shaking his head and lifting his brows as he lowered his voice. "But maybe the truth is... I'm not cut out for one."

"You  _ are, _ " Taylor insisted instantly, gripping Diego's hand in both of his as his heart leapt into his throat, hope bubbling like cola in his gut. "Just not  _ this _ one." He said, squeezing Diego's hand and offering him a rare,  _ genuine _ smile. "I  _ promise _ Diego… I'll go anywhere you want, do anything you ask of me and I  _ will _ help you find the adventure you were always destined for. I  _ promise. _ "

Diego huffed and shook his head, squeezing Taylor's hand back as Quinn stepped over to them. "I felt the same, you know…" she said quietly. "I had a vision of how this week would go, and this…" she paused, shivering and closing her eyes as she wrapped her arms around herself. "This isn't it." She whispered, as Diego frowned and moved away from Taylor, embracing Quinn in a gentle hug.

Taylor frowned at the pair, but said nothing, turning to glance at Aleister as he fumbled for words. "I…" he stammered several times, before slumping in dejection. "Very well… we may depart."

"No, Jake!" Lila barked, frowning at the pilot accusingly, as if he'd swayed her guests away from her. "I have a responsibility to my superiors-" she said firmly.

"To who? Everett freakin' Rourke?" Jake scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Hate to be the one to break it to ya, Dimples, but Rourke ain't here." He said, leaning against the wall with one leg raised, his hands stuffed into his pockets.

_ Anyone in league with the Hydra is bad news, _ Taylor thought, narrowing his eyes at the tour guide suspiciously.  _ But being employed and being in league with, are teo very different things. _ He mused, wondering just  _ which _ of those things applied to the tour guide.

"Hey, if you wanna stay on an island with no guests and keep on doing your job, go right ahead." Taylor said, the group all blinking at him at his blunt tone. "But whatever we're doing, can we get a move on? Because Fangface is really starting to irritate me." He said, jerking his thumb toward the blast doors, where he could still hear the sabertooth prowling, snarling in fury.

Lila glanced around the group, seeming to sense that she had lost both the battle and the war. "... okay." She conceded quietly, casting her eyes down to the floor and biting her lip.

"Alright," Jake said, nodding to Taylor briefly, before glancing around the others. "Plan is, get outta here, grab the others from the resort, get to the airstrip an' kick it offa this  _ hellhole _ ," he explained, his lips twitching as he briefly glanced at Taylor.

"Joy, we have a plan. Can we  _ go _ now?" Taylor drawled sardonically, gesturing for the others to lead the way. "Unless you want to go offer yourself up as catnip?"

"There's gotta be one somewhere." Diego said, frowning down the dim hallway. "And this place can't be that big... right?" He said, leading the way to where the hallway ended in an intersection of corridors. They headed down the hall, the little blue fox scampering along beside them. 

"This damn thing just gonna follow us 'round, now?" Jake wondered aloud, frowning as the little animal darted across his path and began running in circles around and through Diego's legs.

"I think he likes Diego!" Quinn laughed, and the small fox seemed to yip happily in agreement.

Taylor hung back, wincing occasionally at a random stinging sensation in his side. He glanced up as he smelt a familiar, entirely  _ too _ sweet scent, raising a brow questioningly when Quinn smiled at him shyly. "You know… you saved us all." She said quietly, glancing away briefly.

Taylor snorted, rolling his eyes. "Don't remind me," he snarked sourly, ignoring her quiet giggle of amusement. Why did everyone always find him so funny? Why didn't these people get offended and leave him alone like everyone else? Taylor sighed. He was obviously going to have to try harder.

Quinn looked at Diego, who stumbled and tripped over the excited blue fox. "Thankyou, for protecting me… even if it was only a by product," she said after a long pause.

Taylor sighed again and grimaced at her. "I said _ , don't _ remind m-"

"But, please… if something should happen again, and if it's between me and someone else?" She continued quietly, swallowing thickly and looking over at Taylor with shimmering eyes. "Choose  _ them _ ." She whispered pleasingly. "I… I'm not worth it."

Taylor blinked, but before he could respond Quinn had quickened her pace and hurried to catch up with Diego, shaking off her strange sadness as she smiled and laughed with him. 

_ Not worth it..? _ He thought, frowning in confusion. He'd met a lot of people  _ not _ worth saving, but he didn't see how Quinn could possibly be one of them.  _ Maybe it's to do with that weird smell… maybe she's using so much of it, to cover something up. _ He thought, frowning and shaking his head, lowering his eyes to his side and grimacing at the sight of his bloody shirt.

"Good uh, good goin'... back there, I mean." Jake coughed awkwardly, as Taylor flashed him a brief glance, before lowering his eyes again.

"Not good enough." He said with a frown, poking the edge of a scratch and immediately regretting it when it promptly stung like a bitch. He sighed, casting a sideways look at the pilot. "I think you may have saved my life." He admitted begrudgingly.

Jake laughed, flashing him a cocky wink. " _ Shh, _ " he whispered in a conspiratorial tone. "Don't tell nobody. Don't want folk thinkin' I'm some kinda hero, now." He said, smirking smugly when Taylor reluctantly smiled and looked away. "I gotta reputation to keep, ya know?"

"Well that's just fine, because I wasn't planning on telling anyone." Taylor said dismissively, grinning as Jake spluttered and coughed beside him. 

"But… but I'm a damn  _ hero _ !" Jake protested in feigned outrage.

"And  _ you  _ said you didn't want anyone to know," Taylor replied glibly, dropping the pilot a coy wink. "Wish granted." He said smugly, as Jake snorted and shook his head.

"Ya somethin' else, Boy Scout…" he said after a pause, glancing over him thoughtfully, his eyes lingering briefly on the slashed side of his shirt. "Know a lotta folk would've been screamin' an' losin' their heads, after goin' through what  _ you _ jus' did." He said quietly.

"Huh," Taylor hummed carelessly. "Guess they're stupid then." He said blandly, glancing at Jake with a smirk when the pilot coughed and laughed. "Seems pointless yelling about something you can't change," he said, frowning distractedly as he recalled his fury as he'd trashed his room in the early hours of the morning.  _ That was  _ **_different._ ** He told himself firmly.

"Aye, it is." Jake agreed easily, grinning at Taylor slyly. "So… ya gonna thank me?" He asked, winking when Taylor glanced at him innocently. "For savin' ya, that is?"

"Hmm," Taylor hummed, his lips curving mysteriously. "Why don't you hold your breath, until I do?" He suggested slyly, smirking when Jake laughed loudly.


	6. Darkness Falls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiiii
> 
> 2am and felt like posting, so, hope you enjoy
> 
> Hope you're all doing well and sending big thanks for all your comments guys  
> They mean a lot, especially rn  
> Lemme know if it's no good, yeah?
> 
> x My love to you all x

**Primal**

Taylor frowned, casting Jake the occasional surreptitious glance when he knew the pilots attention was elsewhere. Why hadn't he gone to walk with the others again? Why was he hanging back with Taylor? Why was Taylor _allowing_ it?

Why hadn't he grunted, argued, bitten, scratched or otherwise forced the pilot to move away? Why had he laughed, joked and bantered with the man?

It was confusing, not to mention dangerous. He needed to put space between them. Soon.

The group continued down the long, dark corridor; and Taylor blamed the tedious, monotonous walk for his unusual camaraderie. Along with his wound, of course. After what had to have been a half hour of walking, judging by the music he'd heard along the way, they at last reached the end of the hall. Long identical corridors branched away to the left and the right of them, each ending in their own intersections. 

Taylor frowned to himself. _The shelter we found was pretty big, sure, but it wasn't big enough to have endless corridors and intersections like this._ He glanced at Jake, the pilot frowning himself as their eyes met, seeming to have the same idea as Taylor.

"Which way?" Diego asked, clapping his arms to his sides loudly. He turned around, looking at each uncertain, downcast face, before locking his eyes onto Taylor's indifferent expression. "Taylor?"

Taylor raised a brow, flicking his eyes over Diego quickly. "Why are you asking me?" He asked, scowling around the others when they glanced at him. "Hey, I did my part," he said snidely, gesturing to the fire extinguisher which Jake had slung over his shoulder. "I told you all not to go in the creepy shelter, but _nooooo_ . Taylor _bad_ , Taylor _exaggerate._ " He sneered, stuffing his hands in his pockets and turning his head away. " _You_ lot figure out what way to go. I'm just a passenger on this train outta hell."

Diego sighed and rolled his eyes. "And you say _I'm_ the drama queen." He grumbled, ignoring the brief scowl which Taylor shot him as he glanced down both passages. "Uh, anyone have a coin?" He asked awkwardly, scratching behind his neck.

"Oh, Diego…" Quinn giggled, beaming at him as she skipped over and grabbed his hand, leading him down the left passageway.

Taylor frowned, looking back the way they'd come with an uneasy feeling in his gut. _We have no way of finding our way back without making note of every turn we make…_ he thought distractedly, sucking his lip between his teeth and worrying it gently. _I find it hard to believe that_ **_one_ ** _building can have such a long corridor, let alone a sprawling network of them._

"Somethin' tells me, I ain't the only one thinkin' that this don't feel right." Jake murmured quietly, raising a brow when Taylor flicked him an annoyed glance, before looking down the hall from whence they'd come again.

He surveyed the dimly lit hall dubiously. "The building we saw was definitely _not_ big enough for a corridor this long, let alone a bunch of them." He said slowly. "It took us this long to get here, depending how long we travel down this path, or any others we find… well, it's unlikely we'll find this exit again."

"Maybe we oughta mark the trail," Jake suggested, though he frowned and glanced at Taylor. "But I get the feelin' that ain't gonna help much on _this_ island."

"Hmm, are you this late to every party?" He asked, hesitating a moment longer, before reluctantly turning after the others. "Or are you just especially slow when faced with sabertooth tigers and impossible, never ending corridors?"

"'Ey, what happened to bein' a friend for life?" Jake snickered, feigning an affronted look. "Here I thought we were finally workin' on this whole _friendly_ thing…"

"I can be a friend and still be an asshole," Taylor replied indifferently. "Diego will tell you that." He said, looking after his friend as he walked ahead with Quinn. "Honestly, you're lucky I'm even still here… if Diego weren't here, I'd have taken off already." He begrudgingly admitted.

Jake raised a brow. "Ya really don't like bein' 'round folk, do ya?" He said, walking in silence for an extended pause, before glancing over again. "So, ya always been so damn flighty?"

Taylor glanced over at the pilot briefly, before fixing his gaze ahead of them, fidgeting awkwardly as the conversation shifted to something more personal. "I've always been this way…" he said, his face warming as he lowered his eyes and scowled down at the floor. "I was a lot worse, when Diego found me. If it weren't for him, I would probably either be dead or, some hermit, living alone at the top of a mountain, somewhere." He admitted begrudgingly. 

"Huh," Jake hummed thoughtfully, clicking his tongue as they followed after the others as they came upon another identical intersection, this time choosing the right hand passageway. "Well hell, I guess 's lucky ya met 'im then, else ya couldn't o' saved our asses back there."

" _Urgh,_ don't remind me." Taylor groaned, rolling his eyes as Jake laughed quietly. "Now everyone's all 'Oh Taylor, he's so cool and approachable, I think I'll go and talk to him!' Urgh… _so_ not what I need." He grumbled sourly, as Jake coughed to covering his continuing laughter.

"Hey, ya save some lives, ya gonna have to accept the gratitude." He chuckled, spreading his palms unhelpfully. "Next time, let someone else be the hero, huh?"

"Trust me, if I have the chance, I will gladly leave _all_ the glory for you, Top Gun," Taylor scoffed, grinning when Jake nudged his elbow playfully. "I just _do not_ need this kind of attention in my life." He groused, as they wandered on, the halls always seeming to end in just; _more_ halls.

Taylor noticed Jake cast him a small frown from the corner of his eye, the pilots lips parting hesitantly around another question, when Diego's loud sigh interrupted him. "Okay, I think this place is just trolling us now..." he insisted sulkily, turning around at another junction and pouting at Taylor.

"These underground corridors might run across the entire island!" Quinn said, glancing around them all uneasily. "Who knows where we'll come out?"

Taylor frowned, squinting around the passageway. "We're not underground…" he said confidently. "The shelter led directly to these hallways, and there were no slopes or inclines… we've travelled a flat course. We're still above land." 

"Which, don't make sense, 'cause that itty bitty buildin' weren't anywhere near big enough to house all o' _this_ …" he concluded, repeating their earlier musings for the rest of the group.

Jake and Taylor exchanged a pointed look, the rest of the group fidgeting at the uncomfortable realisation. Taylor frowned, his eyes catching a glimpse of something in the wall behind Jake, glinting in the low light. He narrowed his eyes, tipping his chin to draw the pilots attention toward the oddity.

"Huh..." He hummed distrustfully, glancing at Jake and indicating to the carving again. "That thing looks like it's supposed to be some sort of lizard? A chameleon, or something?"

"Oh, can I see?" Lila asked eagerly, pushing her way through the group eagerly as Taylor raised his brows at her, pointedly moving well out of her range. "Of course, it might just be a bored employee scratching in the-" She leaned against the wall beside Jake, and immediately the wall shuddered, her sentence hanging unfinished as she blinked in surprise.

"Whoa, check it out!" Diego crowed, a wide grin splitting his face as he looked at Taylor excitedly. "That section of wall got pushed in a little bit!"

"It's the outline of a door!" Aleister exclaimed, pointing excitedly. "There could be a passage through there!"

"Great," Taylor sneered disparagingly, snorting in disgust. "Because we don't have _enough_ passages… we want to find _hidden_ ones too, now."

Jake rolled his eyes at Taylor's muttering, stepping forward and pushing on the hidden door, using all of his weight; though, it was to no avail. " _Hgggh_!" He puffed, straining to move the heavy door. Taylor felt unusually awkward, his eyes averting as a strange bubbling warmth, spreading steadily through his gut. He rubbed his stomach absentmindedly, frowning as he closed his eyes and concentrated on his music, blocking out the pilot and his strange grunts. "No use. Gotta be another way to open it." Jake said with a frown, stepping back and dusting off his hands against one another.

Taylor cleared his throat and opened his eyes slowly, glancing at Jake, who was looking at him with an odd grin and a raised brow. He felt his cheeks warm as he looked away again, glancing at the door shape for himself. He tentatively pressed his hands to the hard slab, frowning as he slowly applied more pressure and steadily leaned his weight against it. He grit his teeth, narrowing his eyes as he felt the slab shift slightly, creaking and… _clinking_? Taylor stepped back abruptly, the slab having shifted far enough to reveal an odd contraption close to the floor, revealing a long chain, several links of which were now pulled to an odd angle.

"Damn, Boy Scout…" Jake whistled, running his hand over the slab where Taylor had been pushing it. "That thing was stuck tighter than a nuns legs," he said, laughing when Taylor wrinkled his nose at the imagery. "Heh, nice job, findin' the wheel valve… though, I thought ya didn't want no more attention?" He said smugly, gesturing to the contraption by the floor. 

Taylor inked at Jake blandly, before rolling his eyes and crouching down to examine the wheel valve. "It could open the door…" he said, narrowing his eyes and attempting to spin the wheel. The chains creaked and those which had bent out of shape stretched slightly further. He dropped his hand quickly. "But, uh… it's chained tight." He said awkwardly, clearing his throat and glancing around the group guiltily.

Thankfully, nobody else seemed to have noticed; unable to see the chains from where they stood.

Jake crouched down beside him, grinning when Taylor scowled at him and shuffled over, leaving a large space between them. "Chain looks sturdy," the pilot said, smirking but choosing not to comment on Taylor's behaviour. "Here… oughta help." He said, slinging the fire extinguisher over his shoulder and setting it carefully beside Taylor, raising his palms in playful placation, before pointedly stepping away.

" _Hmph,_ " Taylor grumbled, sniffing and turning his head away as Jake sniggered behind him. He grabbed the fire extinguisher and rose to his feet, aiming the nozzle at the chain and blasting it with a jet of freezing cold gas.

"Uh, what are you doing..?" Diego asked after a few seconds of nothing happening.

"Taylor is showing a bit of initiative," Aleister drawled lazily. "C-O-Two fire extinguishers release gas at drastic sub-zero temperatures." He explained in a bored tone, though he looked mildly impressed by Taylor's ingenuity and quick thinking.

Diego frowned thoughtfully. "So if the chain gets brittle enough..." He said, trailing off as Taylor shut off the extinguisher, grunting as he smashed the heavy bottle down on the chain, which shattered; freeing the valve.

"I must admit, I'm impressed." Aleister murmured with a reluctant sigh, seeming rather dismayed by the fact. "I expected you to be more dim-witted."

Taylor grunted wordlessly, tossing the extinguisher at the albino and smirking when he fumbled and dropped the heavy bottle.

Diego coughed to cover a laugh. "In Taylor speak, that would be _thanks for the compliment, Dork-ules,_ " he said, sniggering when Taylor winked at him smugly.

He glanced sideways at Jake, who was watching with a raised brow. He shrugged indifferently. "He's not wrong. He knows me." He said frankly, turning away and spinning the wheel valve _hard_. The group stepped back, as they heard gears whir and whine, deep within the wall. The hidden door shot open suddenly, revealing what looked like a small secret office. "Ta da," Taylor said blandly, looking around with disinterest as he stepped inside. The room was packed with numerous folders and files, as well as a computer with screensaver images flickering on the monitor.

"What the..." Jake muttered quietly, leaning on the small door frame and examining the room cautiously.

"That computer might have a way out for us!" Lila said eagerly, stepping in around Taylor, her fingers clicking at the keyboard rapidly.

Taylor raised a brow, exchanging a pointed look with Jake. _He sees it too… she isn't even surprised about this place._ He thought, narrowing his eyes and looking away from the pilot. _So what else might she know about that she hasn't told us_? He wondered, casting her a final suspicious look, before turning around the room slowly.

"You're wasting your time." Taylor said flatly, as the screen flashed red for the third time under Lila's attempts to login. "You have to login to the set user; and it needs a password. Looks like its six letters..."

"How do you know that?!" Lila demanded, turning with an uncharacteristic coolness in her gaze. Taylor blinked slowly, unfazed by her outburst. Wordessly, he pointed to a small sticky note attached to the monitor.

"There's some writing on it..." Diego said, reaching under Taylor's arm and snagging the note, as Taylor scowled at him and shuffled away as much as the enclosed space would allow. " _Ram, Scorpion, Bull, Lion_ ." He read aloud, before looking up to Taylor with a perplexed expression. "What the hell is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"You never were any good at riddles." Taylor huffed, sidestepping Diego's swat of retaliation with an amused smirk.

Diego pouted at him, shoving the note into his hand and gesturing sulkily towards the computer. "Come on then, mister _smartypants_ …" he demanded haughtily, folding his arms over his chest.

"What makes you think I know?" Taylor snorted, sticking the note on Diego's face with a grin.

"Because you know _everything_!" Diego pouted hotly, scowling at Taylor as he brushed the note off of his face. "Come on, dude, just put the stupid password in so we can figure out what this thing is…"

Taylor rolled his eyes and glared at Lila, who hesitated, before reluctantly sliding out of his way. He leaned forward over the keyboard, very deliberately tapping six keys slowly.

**ZODIAC**

Diego pouted at him as Taylor held up his finger and cocked his head, smirking expectantly as he pressed the enter key. The computer chimed and flashed green, accepting the password.

"You're such a show off," Diego muttered mulishly. "Why couldn't you just _say_ they're all zodiac signs?" He sighed, though his expression lightened with amusement.

" _Aries, Scorpio, Taurus, Leo_!" Quinn said, shaking her head and smiling at Taylor warmly. "I didn't realise you were so clever, Taylor." She giggled, though her smile faltered slightly when Taylor's only response was a lopsided shrug.

"You ain't seen nothin' yet..." Diego promised, laughing despite his previous sulky attitude. "Remember how I said he's basically a sponge? This was childs play for him…" he bragged, while Taylor flushed with embarrassment. 

He was saved from having to respond, by the computer screens flickering on, revealing footage from a very familiar, large room. "Umm... does that look familiar to anyone else..?" Diego asked hesitantly, as Taylor frowned. 

The large room was filled with comfortable chairs, accompanied by small side tables for drinks and snacks. An elevator stood at the far end of the hall, and luggage carriers had been abandoned, though had at least been pushed to the walls. The desk remained empty, as it had when they'd first arrived. "That's The Celestial's lobby..." Quinn said quietly, leaning over Diego's shoulder and squinting at the screen, pointing excitedly at a slight movement in one corner. "Look! You can see Raj in the massage chair!"

 _The whole hotel is probably under surveillance…_ he thought with a dark scowl. _But is it just because the owner is a sleaze? Or was this all set up for_ **_us_ ** _?_ He wondered, glancing over at Jake to see him staring at the screens with a similarly dark expression.

"I guess this is so they can monitor if it's safe to return to the resort?" Lila suggested with an uneasy shrug, her smile unconvincing when combined with the cold, calculating look in her eyes.

"Ya reckon?" Jake demanded, gesturing to a set of images with a scowl. "That why they got cameras in half the damn suites?" He drawled sarcastically.

Taylor shot a look at the pilot, their eyes meeting and deeming to share a single thought. He quickly looked away, narrowing his eyes at the monitors, where he could see hidden camera feeds from various positions within _dozens_ of empty hotel rooms. 

"I get that some people like being watched, but... this is just creepy." Diego said, covering himself with his arms as if he felt dirty just from knowing the cameras were even _in_ the hotel.

"Look, this could be good." Jake said, frowning thoughtfully as he gestured toward the computer. "There's a microphone there on the desk. Prob'ly means we can call the resort, if we figure out how to work it..." He reasoned, looking around the group.

"And tell them to meet us at the airstrip!" Quinn concluded, relief overwhelming her as she sagged against the door and smiled at Jake warmly.

"See if ya can't figure outta way to reach 'em, hey, Boy Genius?" Jake said, ignoring Taylor's sulky pout as he nodded towards the others. "We'll look 'round for a map outta here."

"Why do _I_ have to talk to them?" Taylor demanded, scowling at Jake when he grinned and winked at him, spreading his palms innocently and choosing not to respond verbally.

Taylor frowned, waiting awkwardly for the others to file past, before sitting himself in the small fold away chair. He frowned as he picked up the headphones, debating for an extended pause, before reluctantly removing his ear buds and slipping the computer headphones over is head. Grumbling to himself, he began typing on the computer, searching for the right folder to activate the microphone.

Various camera feeds from the resort flitted past beside him, each less interesting than the last, until at last, one caught his eye and he turned to inspect it better. He recognised Sean on the small screen, a figure walking up behind him to drape their arms around his neck.

"We can't..." The on screen Sean said, his voice sounding warbled over the hidden camera feed, though Taylor could make out his words easily enough. The man was clearly tense, his whole body rigid, as if ready to flee at any moment.

"Says who?" Michelle whispered from behind him, a seductive lilt to her voice as she leaned close to his ear.

"What is this about, Michelle?" Sean demanded, wrenching himself from her arms so he could face her. "You wanted to talk, so talk."

Taylor wrinkled his nose, distinctly unimpressed by the way Michelle purposely draped herself over Sean's muscle riddled chest and gazed out the window at the gentle ocean.

"Isn't the view just unbelievably romantic?" She sighed dreamily, smiling softly and quite _clearly_ enjoying their closeness.

"I thought you said you wanted to talk," Sean said tightly. 

"Who said we had to talk with our clothes _on_?" Michelle replied mischievously, her head rising from his chest so she could gaze up at him longingly. 

Taylor felt a distinct uneasiness growing in his gut, his nose wrinkling and his brow furrowing; yet at the same time he felt, for the first time he could recall, a sad pang of… was it, loneliness..?

He could never have this. He could never be that close with _anyone._ He could never touch them so innocently, so intimately, as Michelle was; as she slowly traced her fingertips across Sean's bicep-

Taylor gagged as Michelle abruptly pushed Sean down onto the bed, crawling forward to straddle his waist. Sean seemed to be about as pleased with the sudden development as Taylor himself looking anywhere but Michelle as his hands floundered awkwardly at his sides.

"Sean… just think about how different this vacation could be." Michelle pleaded in hushed, sultry tones. "Instead of this... _weird_ fight, we could be the way things were a month ago." Michelle said tiptoeing her fingers over Sean's chest as she slowly leaned down over him. "I thought… you could maybe propose to me here." She paused, her shoulders tensing as she opened herself up, making herself vulnerable. 

Taylor shook his head with a snort. _Hormones._ He thought, thanking his lucky stars that he'd never felt such an urge as to embarrass himself so completely.

"I just want to know why you-"

"Because you _cheated_ on me!" Sean roared, ignoring Michelle's obvious, fragile state. The blondes eyes widened in disbelief, as Sean lifted her from his waist and deposited her on the bed beside him roughly, lurching to his feet and crossing the room, scrubbing his hand over his jaw distractedly.

"What? _Who_ said that? I didn't-! I would _never_ -" Michelle began. Even Taylor felt bad for her. A little. She was clearly fighting tears as she reached for him.

Taylor would have already bolted.

"I know all about it, okay?" Sean said, his expression contorted with spite and fury. "Your sorority sisters told me _every_ detail." He spat viciously.

"Sean, that's not-"

"It's _not true_ ? That's what you're gonna go with? You're gonna deny it to my face?" Sean fumed, oblivious to Michelle's disbelief and distress. "These are your best friends, Michelle. You're gonna tell me they were _lying_ about you?!"

Taylor cocked his head with a frown, wondering why Sean would believe petty gossip about his woman, without even bothering to ask her. Michelle was absolutely smitten with him; even someone as emotionally constipated and repressed as _Taylor_ could see that.

He shook his head, watching Michelle lower her head and fall silent, tears rolling silently over her cheeks as she seemed to shut down entirely. "That's what I thought." Sean scoffed, shaking his head in disgust and turning away.

"That's not even what this is about, is it?" Michelle asked quietly, unable to bring herself to even look in the same direction as him, knowing he believed something so odious. Instead she stared vacantly out the window, at the beautiful scene as if wondering _why_ she had found it beautiful at all. "No, you…" she paused, shivering and holding her arms around herself. "You were looking for an excuse to dump me, weren't you?" She stated frankly, shaking her head slowly. "Just waiting for an easy out."

"Michelle..." Sean turned back with a sigh, rolling his eyes at her. "I-"

"I get it." She said with an empty, void like smile. "I saw it from the moment you noticed him on the plane… you'd rather be with Taylor right now." 

The thought of unwanted attention, let alone intimacy with _anyone_ made Taylor feel queasy. Hadn't he already made it clear he wasn't interested when they landed? What the hell did he have to di exactly? Beat them around the head until they understood? He shook his head, scoffing in disgust and lowering his eyes to is fingers, his outrage and disbelief fading as something softer, something… _sad_ , swept through him. 

It wasn't possible. It would _never_ happen, he wouldn't _let_ it! He grit his teeth and hissed at the monitor, narrowing his eyes and making a mental note to very _firmly_ make _everyone_ aware he would _never_ be interested in _any_ of them.

His eyes darted unconsciously to Jake, the odd bubble in his gut returning. He rubbed his stomach, telling himself he was just hungry and nothing more. He scowled at the pilot as if it were _his_ fault; and returned his eyes to the monitor. 

No. He would make sure they all knew. _None_ of them could _ever_ have him.

"Hang on, now that's not-" Sean defended himself, but his denial was weak; and Michelle saw through it as easily as Taylor, much to his repulsion.

Michelle scoffed delicately, rising from the bed and cocking her hip as her tear stained face twisted with a range of emotions. Disappointment, fury, heartbreak; Taylor noted, were only a few. "Not true? That's what your gonna go with?" She taunted coldly, finally glancing at Sean with a dark, broken sneer, as she threw his words back at him. "You're gonna deny it to my face?"

Sean remained silent, his eyes averted from Michelle's pained expression as she scoffed and dropped her gaze to her feet. "That's what I thought." She said bitterly, holding her head high and storming past him, running away to weep in private, with whatever little dignity she could salvage. 

Sean sighed and stumbled back to the wall, turning and slamming his fist against the it with a deep grunt, as he hung his head and stared at the floor.

Taylor grimaced at the emotional display, averting his eyes to another monitor and spotting Zahra rummaging through the restaurant.

"At last, some damn peace and quiet from those douche-wagons..." On screen Zahra sighed, her shoulders sagging in relief. Her respite was not to last however, as Taylor noticed from another monitor that Craig was heading straight for the restaurant, whistling loudly.

"Gonna get some bread..." The jock sang as he strolled along, oblivious to anything but his own hunger. "Gonna put it in my head..."

 _Zahra is not gonna like it when Craig shows up..._ Taylor thought, his lips twitching with amusement at the thought of their encounter. He settled in to watch, pleased to think he might be able to wash the awful images of Michelle and Sean from his memory with some mutual antagonism.

Zahra wandered through the restaurant's back kitchen, chomping on what appeared to be a gigantic pastry. "Hrm? What's this?" She wondered aloud, pastry flaked dropping from her lips as she came to a halt beside a tall tower covered in cloth. She tugged at the fabric, revealing a towering and elegant Tiramisu cake that looked to be at least seven feet tall.

Taylor was impressed. He wondered at the recipe they'd used, marvelling at it's structure and cursing himself for not having raided the kitchen for any recipes they might have stowed away.

" _Daaaamn_..." Zahra whistled, slowly stepping closer to the enormous cake as if in awe of it herself. She looked down at her pastry and quickly tossed it away, gazing up at the towering desert again, before she kicked out one of the tables legs. The cake toppled over and crashed to the floor in a huge, splatter of gooey mess; and Zahra cackled with laughter.

"Ha _ha_ ! That was awesome. Tiramisu _sucks_!" She said, turning to an industrial freezer, her eyes narrowing and a smirk curving her lips, as she pulled opened the lid and retrieved a five gallon tub of ice cream. "Jackpot..." She huffed smugly, prying off the lid and eating it straight off the scoop.

"Oh, _mama_ , that's good..." She groaned softly, relishing every bite. She paused, her eyes widening in realisation, as Craig's whistling grew louder.

"Aw, you gotta be-" She scowled, as Craig came into view. He stopped upon noticing Zahra with the ice cream, the woman flowering at him a she licked the scoop in a deliberate, slow motion. The pair stilled, sizing each other up in a moment of contemplative silence.

"Guess you found the ice cream stash too..." Craig said gruffly.

"Guess I did." Zahra retorted, taking another melodramatic lick of the ice cream scoop, her tongue trailing the cold, icy treat.

"I found it first, ya know." Craig huffed petulantly, scowling as he watched Zahra take another very deliberate, taunting lick.

"I know _your_ brain might be stuck in fifth grade," Zahra sneered, "but are you seriously trying to pull _'Finders Keepers'_ with me?"

"Just askin' for a little mutual respect, ya feel me?" Craig scowled, taking a defiant step closer, despite Zahra's murderous glare. "Honour among thieves?"

Zahra flipped the bird at him in reply, and Taylor snorted with amusement at the private show. "Honour this." She said flatly, rolling her eyes and resuming her licking of the scoop.

"Look, Z. I don't like you, and you don't like me-" Craig said with a fierce scowl. Taylor cocked his head thoughtfully, noting the jock had balled his hands tightly at his sides.

"Wow," Zahra laughed harshly, "I didn't know you were capable of such subtle understatement-"

"-so why don't we just stay out of each other's way, deal?" Craig demanded heatedly, talking over Zahra's raucous, derisive laughter.

"Fine by me." Zahra said easily, shrugging her shoulder dismissively.

"Fine by _me_!" Craig growled back stubbornly. 

Taylor sniggered, propping his chin in his hand as he watched the pair move to go around each other, but instead moved in the same direction; and abruptly crashed into one another.

"Go left!" Zahra said, eyes narrowed in fury as she hurried to extricate herself from the jock's hulking body.

" _My_ left or _your_ left?!" Craig cried, his own eyes wide as he tried to work out just which left was the _right_ left.

"As if you know the difference!" Zahra hissed, scowling as she ducked under his arm with the ice cream tub clasped tight to her chest. Just before she walked through the door, she paused, casting an innocent smirk back over her shoulder. "Oh, and Craig? If you tell a soul about... you know... freshman year..." She warned, her expression hardening slowly. "I'll hack your phone, and send your family those photos you saved there. You know, the ones with you and the whipped cream... and _nothing else.._ ." Taylor scowled at the monitor, his fun spoiled as Zahra concluded what had been a fun distraction, by cursing him with _that_ particular mental image.

" _Pfft_!" Craig smirked, folding his arms over his chest confidently. "You can't do that." Zahra just smiled with unsettling sweetness, sauntering out the door with her prize and leaving Craig to grumble to himself. "She can't do that... right?"

Taylor left Craig to his mutterings, as the jock began to raid the kitchens himself, his attention immediately grabbed by another screen, when something began to move hesitantly across it.

Estela was marching briskly down a hall, looking back over her shoulder at regular intervals as if to make sure she wasn't being followed. **_Her_ ** _secrets are bigger than_ **_mine_ ** ... Taylor thought, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. _What is she up to now?_ He zoomed in on the shifty looking woman, watching as she crept down an abandoned hallway.

She picked up the pace, jogging the remainder of the way to the ballroom. Taylor frowned, watching the grainy image closely, as Estela began ransacking the ballroom from top to bottom, frantically tearing through everything that wasn't nailed down; and even trying some things what were. He narrowed his eyes, concentrating on her muttering as she tossed debris this way and that around her.

"Come on, where _is_ it?!" She hissed in frustration, pushing to her feet with a snarl. She paused, her eyes locking onto something and narrowing in thought. She walked slowly to a large painting mounted on the wall. On the fuzzy screen, it looked like a sailboat beneath the night sky. Estela stared at the painting for a long moment, before flipping out a penknife and suddenly slashing at the painting, slicing t neatly in two. 

She reached through the ruined painting, and sagged in victory. "There..." She grimaced, slowly removing her hand with something held carefully in her palm. Taylor narrowed his eyes, confused at the small piece of paper in her palm. She startled, as Grace's voice suddenly called to her from the hallway. 

"Estela? Estela, are you in the ballroom?" Taylor saw Grace approaching on another monitor, his eyes returning to Estela's lip curled in disgust, her gaze lowering to the ruined painting and tthen quickly rising to the hallway. She pocketed her penknife, and slipped behind one of the large doors, hiding as Grace entered the room. "Estela, I was gonna make some food-" Grace paused, frowning as she looked around the seemingly empty ballroom. "Oh, I could've sworn I saw her come this way..." She said, before shrugging and heading back the way she'd come.

Estela waited a moment longer, frozen on the small screen as a blur of pixels behind the large door, until she appeared to decide the coast was clear. She stole out of her hiding spot and eagerly unfolded the paper. " _Estela… you must protect the Omega Specimen,"_ Estela's low murmur was like a gunshot directly to Taylor's heart, his breath quickening and his ears ringing faintly, as he felt the blood drain from his face rapidly. _"Rourke International must not capture it, else the world will surely fall prey to their plan…_ " Estela crumpled the note in one hand, her other riding to press against her mouth. She wiped her eyes quickly and stuffed the note in her hoodie pocket, before she stole out of the ballroom, disappearing down the hall and out of the camera's sight. 

Taylor was aghast, his fingers trembling as he swallowed thickly, staring vacantly through the pixelated screen. _How did she know something was hidden behind that painting?_ Taylor wondered, closing his eyes and taking several deep breaths, trying desperately to calm himself. _What the hell could it all mean? What did the Hydra have planned for the Omega Specimen?_

Taylor grit his teeth, viciously repressing the scream which had built in his throat and was trying hard to escape him. He forced it back down, his skin prickling and beading with sweat as he shivered from the exertion. 

Would this have all been avoided, if he'd let Diego come alone? Would Diego have been safe, only if he had never found Taylor? Had never shown him kindness, while expecting nothing in return?

Questions churned through his mind like a spiked wheel, each one making him wince and flinch guiltily. What could he do now? Would leaving save them all? God... he _hoped_ so.

"Oh, well done, Taylor!" Lila's cheerful exclaim forced him to set aside the tormenting thoughts, recoiling from the tour guide as she leaned over his shoulder and pointed excitedly to a folder in the corner of the screen. "You found it! You should be able to talk to them as soon as you activate it! So go ahead, and lets try it!"

Taylor scowled at her, but did as she suggested, activating the microphone and unplugging the headphones so the others could hear. He slipped them from his head and deposited them beside the computer, quickly returning his music player headphones to his ears and sighing with relief.

He looked around the hotel, his eyes falling upon Raj, who was still sound asleep in his appropriated massage chair. _Did he even choose a room for himself?_ He wondered idly, a wicked grin curving his lips as he zoomed the camera in on the large man. He cleared his throat and held up a finger to the group, holding down the button at the base of the microphone, with his other hand. 

" _Rrrraaaajjj_ ..." He rasped in a ghostly tone, releasing the button briefly to swat Diego's arm and quiet his snorts of laughter. " _Thiiis is the ghooost of semeeesters paaaast_!" He drawled slowly, releasing a sickening wail and finally releasing the buttom to snigger himself, as Raj snapped awake and fell out of his still vibrating massage chair.

" _Hu-wha? Oh man, not this trip again_!" Raj pleaded in terror, looking around himself as if he expected something specific to happen. Instead, Zahra and Craig emerged from the stairway, the giant tub of ice cream still in Zahra's arms. They burst out in uproarious laughter upon seeing Raj so flustered.

"Yo, Taylor, is that you on the speakers? That was _hilarious_!" Craig crowed, fist pumping the air.

Zahra set the ice cream tub on the concierge desk, wiping a tear of laughter from her eye. "God, I just _love_ humour at the expense of others." She sighed breathlessly.

"Wait, that's Taylor on the speakers?" Raj demanded, glancing up at the huge boxes attached to the walls. He grinned, relaxing as he laughed with relief. "Okay, I'll admit; that _was_ pretty good."

"Okay… I'm done." Taylor said, pushing away from the computer with a smirk and stretching as he rose to his feet, sauntering away with his hands in his pockets. "Someone else can do the serious bit." He said, winking at Diego and stepping outside the small room, his cocky smirk disappearing as his thoughts continued to churn unpleasantly.

He vaguely heard Diego explain what had happened, Quinn, Aleister and Jake each supplying information so that those at the hotel got the _full_ story. Taylor only half paid attention, gazing down the hallway with a hollow look, frowning as he tried to soft through the chaotic stream of thoughts and endless questions in his head. 

_Maybe, when we land…_ **_wherever_ ** _we land…_ he swallowed thickly, his hands balling into fists at his sides, his nails cutting into his palms painfully. _Maybe it would be best, for Diego, if I… if I disappeared._ He exhaled a sharp breath, surprised at just how much it stung. His eyes watered, his heart aching painfully at the thought of never seeing his friend again, but… the thought of him being safe, away from Taylor and whatever danger seemed to be determinedly trying to catch up to him, well, he knew which he would choose if it really came to it.

 _Maybe Jake would be willing to drop me off somewhere else after…_ he mused sadly, knocking his head back against the wall softly, his lips trembling as he sucked in a deep, shuddering breath. _I could probably slip away fairly easily, especially if the others are all with him. No paperwork to follow, no trace that I exist; let alone that I ever came here with them. If I asked, Jake might even lie for me, though, he'd expect some kind of explanation, and what the hell can I even tell him, exactly?_

Taylor grit his teeth, his eyes searching the ceiling vacantly, as if it might hold the answers he so desperately sought. _Maybe… a half truth?_ He thought, turning the idea over in his head and slowly coming to the conclusion that it was certainly his best bet. _I'm dangerous, I have a past that's coming for me, and I don't want Diego dragged into it… I think, Jake would understand that. I think he'd help me._

He sighed, a pout overtaking his features. _But that means I'm gonna have to be_ **_nice_ ** _to him…_ he thought sullenly, grimacing and shaking his head slowly. _Well, whatever the cost. I can be nice and still tell him firmly that I'm not ever going to be more than his friend; and a very_ **_distant_ ** _friend at that. Like, a whole other continent, if I can swing it._

"Oh! And we found the _cutest_ little blue fox thing _ever_ , and he likes us… so he's coming with." Quinn added firmly, concluding the summary of events and signalling to Taylor that his opportunity for solitary thought, was over. He peeked around the doorway, watching the tiny screen as the others crowded around the microphone. 

"This is another prank, right? 'Cause this one is a whole lot less funny than Taylor's was, Diego." Zahra sneered uncertainly, looking around the lobby uneasily.

"'S all true." Jake confirmed, leaning over Diego's shoulder to speak directly into the microphone. "We're headin' straight for the airstrip."

"You're _leaving_ ?!" Craig bellowed, his expression darkening as he visibly tensed on the grainy camera feed. "What the _hell_ ? This is our _vacation_ , man! We just _got_ here! Naw, forget that!"

"Craig, I need you to trust me. _Please_." Diego pleaded, twisting his hands in his lap restlessly as Quinn squeezed his shoulder and held the microphone button down for him. "Get the others, and meet us at the airstrip." He tried again, but it was clear on the screen; the small Craig was already shaking its head.

" _Trust_ you? I don't _know_ you, and you _don't_ know me." Craig snarled viciously, scowling around the lobby ceiling blindly. "Why are you trying to _ruin_ everything?" He demanded, before he angrily turned away and crashing away down the hall.

"Don't worry..." Raj sighed wearily. "I'll talk to him... we'll be there soon." He promised before he disappeared, heading after Craig quickly.

"Keep a eye out." Jake warned, and Zahra aimed a middle finger salute around the lobby slowly. "That sabertooth is still out there, an' 's meaner'n hell... We'll meet ya at the plane hangar, soon's we find a way outta here."

"Yeah," Diego groaned, turning off the microphone and flopping back in the chair, sighing heavily in his despondency. "About that..."

"We've found... absolutely nothing so far." Aleister confessed tightly, warily looking at the remaining files. "And it will take us several _hours_ to examine the rest of these files."

"At this point," Diego sighed, scrubbing his face with both hands as Taylor glanced away from his weary face, frowning at the floor and wondering again; what would be for the best? "I don't think we could even find our way back to where we came in."

"I could get us there." Taylor said distractedly, glancing back into the room and raising a brow when he found everyone staring at him in surprise. "What?"

"You… you could?" Quinn asked hopefully, curling her hand before her chest as she stepped toward him hesitantly.

"Sponge Brain, Sour Pants… remember?" Diego sniggered fondly, looking over at Taylor with a tired smile. "He remembers just about anything. The only question…" he sighed, trailing off with a vague gesture toward Taylor.

"... is if the Sabertooth is still there." Taylor finished quietly, glancing away guiltily as he gripped the doorframe. "Well, there's a high chance it got bored by now… maybe it went to catch some breakfast that wouldn't fight back." He suggested, a hollow laugh bubbling from his throat as he turned away from them all and leaned against the wall again. "Just make up your minds already." He sighed wearily.

"Oh my gosh… everyone, _look_!" Quinn cried suddenly, pointing up at the shelves behind Diego. Taylor rolled his head against the wall, following the line of Quinn's finger, to see the little blue fox hopping along the shelf. It then leapt atop Diego's head, who jerked in surprise and promptly fell out of the chair, but before he did, the fox had already turned and jumped up to an even higher shelf.

" _Mrrmph_!" The little fox chirped happily, as it sniffed around on the top shelf.

"The _hell's_ that 'lil critter _doin'_..?" Jake muttered suspiciously, watching intently as the little creature snuffled about on the shelf.

"Maybe there's food up there?" Lila wondered aloud, frowning as she watched the animal weave between binders and pots stacked with pens.

Taylor was abruptly aware that he was starving. He glanced down at his torn, bloody t-shirt, telling himself it was only stress hunger; and he could last until they made it to the mainland, before he really _needed_ to eat. 

He looked up again when the little blue fox grabbed the edge of a large binder between its teeth, its ears perked and its eyes narrowed in concentration as it pulled hard, before yanking it to the side and quickly releasing it. The binder toppled out, hitting the floor with a resounding splat as it fell open to reveal a neatly drawn schematic of the tunnels.

"The cute little fox thing found it!" Quinn cheered, giggling and bending down to scoop up the map. Taylor raised a brow at the fox as it slowly hoped down from the high shelf, coming to a halt in front of Diego and preening proudly at him. "That's our way out! We're _here_... and there's an exit right along this path!"

"Huh…" Jake coughed awkwardly, as Taylor glanced at him. "Does, uh… does that mean this 'lil Furball understands English?" He wondered aloud, glancing around in discomfort. The fox yipped happily in response and Jake grimaced, dropping down to his knee in front of it. "All that stuff I said 'fore? I didn't mean it, 'kay?" He said earnestly.

Taylor snorted loudly, breaking out in a gale of laughter at the pilot's sincere apology to a tiny animal. The others all looked at him in disbelief; and even Diego seemed to have been stunned speechless by the sight of Taylor's natural, genuine laughter. Jake pushed to his feet slowly, his lip quirking in a lopsided grin.

Taylor forced himself to take a deep breath, swallowing down his amusement and quickly snatching the map from Quinn, before turning his back on them all as he studiously examined it. "Quinn… you know you had this upside down, right?" He asked, glancing back with a raised brow.

"I did?" Quinn asked, blushing guiltily. " _Hee hee,_ oopsie!" She giggled, biting her lip and averting her eyes as she locked her arms behind her back.

Taylor rolled his eyes, throwing Jake a brief scowl and leaning away from him when the pilot stepped closer and tried to peer at the schematic for himself. "'Ey, easy there, Boy Scout." He chuckled, an infuriating, knowing grin on his lips. "Jus' 'cause ya let ya guard down-"

"I have _never_ let my guard down and moreover, I _never will._ " Taylor sneered firmly, forcing his eyes to remain cold and hard as Jake blinked and raised a brow in surprise at his vehement response.

The pilot hesitated, before nodding once and silently holding out his palm. Taylor sniffed and looked away, slapping the schematic into Jake's palm and quickly releasing it, stalking several places away from the group and leaning moodily against the wall.

"Alright…" Jake drawled slowly, casting Taylor a long, appraising look, before snapping the map open and looking down at the drawing thoughtfully. "'S this way," he said after a moment, setting off at a brisk pace. 

The pilot led their group around a corner to the right, followed by a passage to the left; and then another left hand corridor, where they _at last_ found a pair of blast doors at the end of the long, dimly lit corridor; identical to the pair which they'd pulled shut between themselves and the furious sabertooth.

Taylor followed sullenly at the back of the group, his eyes on the floor and his hands deep in his pockets, muttering to himself and scolding himself as he recalled his earlier thoughts that he would need to _be nice_ to the pilot.

"We found the exit!" Quinn chanted excitedly, bouncing around the group as she held Diego's hands tight either her own and giggled with him. "Let's get these open!" She said eagerly, moving to try and shift them herself, when Diego wisely held her out of the way. 

Instead, Taylor and Jake steped forward and grasped a mighty door handle each, their eyes meeting once in a mutual, silent understanding that they work together. They looked away again quickly, heaving at the heavy doors as one and grunting quietly, as they set about their task. Taylor grit his teeth, the giant metal slab creaking and groaning as he slowly inched his door open; followed a split second later by Jake, both slowly peeling their halves apart.

"Sweet, sweet freedom, here we come-" Jake panted, as he released his door and wiped the beading sweat from his brow, leaving Taylor still tugging stubbornly at his own. The pilot stepped around his partially open door, but his words faltered when he saw what awaited them beyond the doors.

Taylor yanked his door another few inches with a grunt, before releasing the hulking slab of metal with a spear of satisfaction, his door almost all the way open.

"Uh, Taylor?" Diego called uncertainly, drawing Taylor's attention away from his door. He pointed through the gap between the doors when Taylor turned to him, his eyes fraught with fear. Frowning, Taylor stepped around his own massive blast door, only to find… nothing, but total darkness. A darkness so deep and empty, it felt almost as if he were standing at the edge of the universe. The darkness felt familiar, terrifying but also known.

 _Alive_.

Given it was La Huerta, this feeling did not at all surprise him, though it was nonetheless, immensely disturbing.

"This is absolutely absurd." Aleister declared gruffly. Taylor saw the pale man flinch, as tetchy echoes reverberated back to them. 

"An echo..." Diego whispered, as if trying to avoid causing an echo himself. "Must be some kinda cave." He murmured thoughtfully, glancing at Taylor, before looking around the others quickly.

"Jake, use your flashlight." Quinn pleaded in a whisper, her arms raised and folded behind the pilots shoulder. Taylor frowned, wrinkling his nose at the woman's wrists against Jake's shoulder, before shaking his head and pointedly looking away from them both. 

His frown, did not fade. 

Jake reached for his belt, before cursing loudly. "Damn. Lost it." He growled, running a hand through his hair in agitation. "Must've fell off when we were runnin' from Chompy the Tiger…" he grumbled sourly, sighing and hesitating a moment, before tipping his chin towards the darkness "We've just gotta push forward. Exit oughta be right through here, so, long as we keep straight, we oughta find it."

"We have no idea what could be lurking in there, or if there's even really a way out." Diego countered nervously, glancing up at Taylor as he stepped up beside him and nudged his arm gently. He sighed, lowering his eyes dejectedly. "My abuelita had an old saying... _where there be sabertooth tigers, there be brain-eating spiders_."

Taylor grinned lopsidedly. "She also said that _you know what_ was the best moisturiser, and that you should have a facial at _least_ once a day." He said lightly, outright smirking when Diego yelped in distress.

 _"No!"_ He said dramatically, covering his ears with his hands and gazing at Taylor balefully. "She was pure! And innocent!"

Taylor snorted. "She _lived in sin_ with the village doctor." He said smugly, snickering at Diego's whine of reproach. "I quote; _and I loved every sin dipped, finger lickin' minute of it!_ So stop pretending she was a saint."

Diego pouted at him. "She was innocent and pure and she never did anything even slightly like what _you're_ suggesting, assbutt…" he insisted sulkily. "She had sex once in her life, to make my mother."

"Keep tellin' yourself that, buddy," Taylor snorted fondly. "But _I'm_ the one who she used to hide and drink with at your lame ass family gatherings, so don't try to convince me." He said, smirking as Diego grumbled and turned away.

" _Ahem,_ " Jake coughed pointedly, a lopsided grin on his face as he glanced between the two of them. "Fascinatin' as ya apaloosa-"

"Abuelita." Taylor and Diego corrected together, Diego throwing Taylor an accusatory pout as Taylor grinned and winked at him.

"Yeah, that..." Jake huffed, stepping past the two of them and gesturing toward the darkness beyond the doors. "Fascinatin' as she sounds an' all, we really oughta get goin'." He said, glancing at them both in turn. "We sent the others to the airstrip, an' if we ain't there to meet 'em, they're sittin' ducks."

"Tiger chow," Taylor agreed, fighting to keep his expression neutral as Jake turned to him a withering look.

The pilot met Taylor's gaze steadily, his clear eyes imploring. "We _gotta_ push through." He insisted, taking a step backward into the darkness. "Everyone link up." Jake said, flicking his eyes each of them. "Grab hands, so we keep hold o' one 'nother in the dark." He suggested.

" _Ha_ , good one..." Taylor sneered, fixing a distrustful scowl on his face, as the pilot looked over with a sigh of exasperation. 

"Cmon, Boy Scout," Jake argued, gesturing toward the fathomless darkness beyond the doors. "Ya see 'nother way, lemme know… but we ain't exactly gotta lotta time here to play with." He said, as Taylor's scowl deepened, his eyes sweeping over the rest of the group accusingly. "Ya gotta play nice with the other kids for a 'lil, 'kay?"

"Uh, _no_?" Taylor scoffed. "I don't play with anyone, nice or otherwise. You all wanna hold hands and sing Kumbaya, great, go ahead. I'll follow behind." He said flatly.

Jake stared at him a long pause, his jaw cocked as he scratched his stubbled cheek thoughtfully. "D'ya trust me?" Jake asked, raising a brow when Taylor immediately snorted and looked away.

"I don't trust anyone." Taylor replied frankly, lifting a shoulder and sighing as he shrugged his shoulder lightly, reluctantly looking back at Jake. "But… then again, you've not been altogether _un_ trustworthy, since we got here."

Jake took another moment to process the confession, nodding his head slowly. "Good enough." He said, gesturing over his shoulder to the darkness beyond. "Look at that. It ain't like anythin' I've ever seen, an' I've seen _a lot._ That ain't normal dark in there, 's condensed. Ya can't see ya own hand in front o' ya face… so ya _can't_ do this on ya own, Boy Scout." He said matter of factly, spreading his palms and cocking his head. "Sooner we get through, sooner ya can… run off an' hide in a damn tree."

Taylor winced, but didn't contest the point. He looked away, turning his scowl to the wall. _I can't have people holding onto me that long._ He thought, worrying his lip for a short time. _Maybe, if I go first and hold Diego's hand… maybe I could pull that off._ He sighed, noticing his shoulders had tensed and forcing them to relax. 

"I'll go first." He muttered, stepping around the pilot into the darkness and shivering as a wave of coldness swept over him. "C'mon, Diego…" he called, looking around the darkness uneasily. 

Jake was right about one thing; it was no ordinary darkness. But what was ever ordinary on La Huerta? He sighed, lowering his eyes to the fox as it crept around him slowly, peering up at him warily and darting away as soon as it was past him.

 _Smart fox._ He thought dully, reluctantly extending his hand behind him with a resigned sigh. He closed his eyes as a warm hand slid into his own, peeling them open slowly and somehow just _knowing_ they would be a soft, glowing gold should he be able to see them.

Ahead of him, he could see perfectly clearly. The darkness was still there, but through it he could easily make out shapes. He could see boulders, cracks I the floor, even the fox scampering ahead of them, its head cocked curiously as it waited for them.

Taylor exhaled a deep breath, squeezing Diego's hand and taking comfort when Diego squeezed back gently. With his heart thudding heavily in his chest; and his music playing softly in his ears, Taylor slowly led them into the darkness.


	7. Shadow And Flame

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hellooo
> 
> I am, not really doing so well so... sorry this took so long  
> Cant promise when the next will be tbh  
> Sorry
> 
> x My love to you all x

**Primal**

For the next hour, Taylor walked slow deliberate steps, placing his feet carefully on the rock strewn passage, his eyes flitting across the pitch black tunnel restlessly. Behind him, the others shuffled awkwardly, blindly along, but Taylor crept silently through the dark cave beyond the island's emergency shelter. Despite having no way to _see_ it, he was vaguely aware that his eyes shone with a reflective golden glow; for how else would he be able to see through such impenetrable darkness with such clarity? It was a bad sign, certainly, but it allowed him to lead the group safely through the otherwise blackness and so he pushed his discomfort aside.

He would deal with the consequences later. His first priority, was his brothers safety.

He kept his head forward, knowing that to glance back would reveal his… _unique_ _trait_.

His thoughts were chaotic, a merry go round of questions, doubts, fears, stubborn denials and… the distinct distraction, of Diego's hands. Taylor had avoided touching as much as possible in his life, determined to isolate himself from everyone and everything. On some occasions, however, he'd briefly sought or given comfort to his best friend, holding, squeezing or just tentatively tapping his friends hand. He knew the feel of it by heart.

So then, _where_ exactly had the calluses on his fingers and palm come from? Diego's hands were usually soft and smooth, how could they be so rough, so strong and reassuring, after only a day on La Huerta, of all places? He hadn't even done anything strenuous!

He shook his head softly, telling himself it was just the darkness playing tricks on him; a La Huerta special. As soon as they were out in the sunshine again, he would look and see just what the hell his friend had done to his hands.

With a quiet sigh, Taylor deftly dodged a small hole, moving his arm in a sweeping motion behind him and nudging Diego to the side, helping him to avoid the hole himself and _hoping_ he had the common sense to do the same for the next person.

"Nice move," Jake's unexpected murmur startled him, causing him to flinch in surprise. He almost swung around to stare at the pilot, but he managed to resist the urge. "Ya good at this," the pilot muttered quietly, just as the rough fingers around Taylor's squeezed gently.

" _Aahhh!_ " Taylor yelled, snatching his hand from Jake's and darting away silently, as realisation struck him like a burning hot knife. He cradled his hand against his chest, scowling and cursing darkly under his breath as his hand pulsed with warmth softly, his skin erupting in a hive of itching as he tried not to hyperventilate.

"Boy Scout?" Jake whispered, his hand flailing in the darkness as be brought the others to a halt. "Ya still with us?" He asked, waiting blindly in the darkness for some sign of Taylor's location.

"Taylor?" Diego hissed from further down the line, his voice rising fearfully as he hovered on the edge of hysteria. "Taylor, are you okay?!"

 _We've been in the dark for so long already…_ Taylor's panicked thoughts chased one another, his breath quickening as he struggled to suppress the scream he could feel, building in his throat. _What if… what if it's- oh god, why didn't I check whether it was Diego behind me?!_

He closed his eyes, the dull outline of the cave disappearing to total blackness as he took a moment to process the fact that he had apparently been holding Jake's hand for over an hour. _It_ **_won't_ ** _happen… not from just this._ He told himself, though he wasn't entirely sure he made a convincing case. _This is exactly why I avoid touching people... to avoid-_ Taylor hussed quietly, squeezing the hand which had been in Jake's grasp for so long and slowly peeling his eyes open again.

"Boy Scout!" Jake whispered urgently. Taylor cast a sideways glance toward him, noting his eyes were wide and concerned as he searched the darkness blindly. "Boy Scout, are ya alright?!" 

Taylor swallowed thickly, lowering his eyes to his hand and staring at his own skin; still prickling with the familiar itch which touching always left him with, but otherwise appearing completely normal. "... I'm fine." He said thickly, telling himself, as much as the others.

Jake's shoulders visibly sagged in the darkness, clearly relieved to hear Taylor's voice at last. "Right… 'cause whenever folk scream an' disappear in a big, black cave… they're always _fine_." He snarked, covering his concern with sarcasm, as Taylor cocked his head.

Had the pilot been worried about him? He bit his lip, worrying it roughly. _That can't be a good sign…_ he thought, almost breaking the skin of his lip, before forcing himself to release the soft flesh, his hand pressing lightly to his side as he remembered his _previous_ injury. _I've lost enough blood for one day. Urgh, if only I brought one of those stupid sprays with me._ He thought, sighing wistfully as he recalled the entire suitcase, filled with body spray.

"Taylor?" Diego called uneasily. Taylor flicked his eyes further sideways, examining his friend quickly before hurrying to look away again. "Taylor, what-?"

"I said I'm _fine_." He repeated, reluctantly returning to the head of the chain as quietly as he'd slipped away. "Don't worry about me." He said, narrowing his eyes as he looked down at his hand distrustfully, reluctantly reaching back to brush Jake's hand and allow him to take hold again. "I can handle it." He said firmly, though he was unsure if he was trying to convince the others; or himself.

The line was quiet for a pause, before Jake chuckled, breaking the awkward silence. "Who said I was worried?" He teased lightly, tentatively squeezing Taylor's hand again before loosening his hold in an obvious attempt to lessen Taylor's discomfort. "Ya sure ya-"

"Oh, for the love of-!" Taylor exploded, running his free hand through his hair and barely resisting the urge to whirl around and glare at the pilot. "I am _fine_ ! How many times do I have to say it?! Do you want it in Korean? French? German? I'll say it whatever way I damn well have to, to get it through your thick, _stubborn_ skull. I'm _fine_!'

"Sure ya are," Jake said, coughing quietly as he squeezed Taylor's hand gently. "I could tell by the claw marks, ya leavin' in me hand…"

Taylor flinched sharply, hoping Jake wouldn't notice his reaction. He grimaced, reluctantly holding Jake's hand properly again. "Just shut up and… hold on." He muttered, ignoring Jake's small snort of amusement at his prickly nature, his larger hand warm as he gently enclosed Taylor's hand again.

"Well, _I'm_ worried! I mean, I am _seriously_ about to lose it!" Diego whispered furiously. Taylor sighed. He wasn't sure where abouts his friend had ended up in the line, but he couldn't exactly turn around and check, what with the unusual and pretty freaky eye situation he had going on. "This is my nightmare! It's literally that part of the movie, where the audience yells… _what the hell are you doing? Turn back you idiots! How are you guys so goddamn stupid?_ " He hissed with a small hiccup.

"Dude, I keep telling you, you have _got_ to watch less horror films," Taylor sighed, shaking his head and deftly side stepping a large boulder, leading the group to a clearer patch of ground. "They're never realistic, anyway. I mean, what audience would sit around to watch us stumble around in pitch black for… over an hour and a half?"

"It's been _that long?!_ " Diego yelped, his voice echoing around them like an alarm blaring. "Oh god… we're gonna die. Any second, something is gonna come and maul us-"

"Eh, been there, done that." Taylor said flippantly, laughing when Diego yelped again in distress, recalling his injury.

" _Relax_ ," Jake sighed, his voice calming despite the edge of discomfort at the reminder of Taylor's injury. "We keep movin' forward… the schematic said this 's the only way out."

Taylor searched through the endless darkness ahead of them, frowning as he noted the occasional fixture on the wall. He narrowed his eyes, examining the old iron fittings thoughtfully, before sighing and pushing the discovery from his mind for the moment.

"Well, hopefully we won't have to hold onto each other's hands much longer..." he grumbled quietly, frowning and glancing down at the little fox as it peered up at him warily; and then darted past him toward the others. "I think we might be about to-"

 _"Yoww_!" Jake's sudden outburst interrupted Taylor and caused the entire group to freeze in their tracks, as he howled fearfully into the darkness. Taylor tensed, fighting the urge to turn around and look for whatever danger had snuck up on them; before he caught sight of the fox, sprinting ahead of him like it had just had the scare of its tiny life.

"What happened?!" Aleister demanded urgently, his voice panicked at the thought of the most capable among them falling prey to am unknown assailant. "Is the pilot dead?!"

"What? _No_!" Jake snarked irritably, his hand warming around Taylor's as the air tinged with a palpable sense of embarrassment. 

Taylor sniggered.

"The... stupid little fox... _thing_ ran over my damn foot." Jake huffed in a petulant tone. "It jus'... _spooked_ me a 'lil, 'kay?" He admitted reluctantly, the sound of faint foot shuffles echoing, revealing the extent of his discomfort. "... I'm gonna preemptively tell ya'll to shut the hell up." The pilot snarled.

Taylor snorted.

"'Ey, I hear that, ya 'lil-!" Jake grumbled sulkily, squeezing Taylor's hand in retaliation. 

Taylor burst out laughing, unable to keep it in any longer. "I'm sorry… well, I'm _not_ sorry, but _oooh…_ damn, that was good Top Gun." He cackled, sighing and humming fondly as he shook his head and began to lead them on again. " _Ooh…_ you should think about becoming a comedian, you know, if the pilot thing gets old."

Jake snorted, seeming amused by the notion. "Pilotin' ain't _never_ gonna get old, Boy Scout." He drawled smugly, a vaguely wistful tone in his voice. "Ain't a damn thing I known 's better than flyin'..." he said with a small huff, as Quinn and Diego began to whisper to each other further down the line.

"Really?" Taylor asked, his lips curling into a grin, knowing nobody could see him. He lowered his voice. "Guess all those damsels in distress went home disappointed after throwing themselves at you, afterall." He taunted innocently, snickering to himself.

"Ya got no idea, Boy Scout." Jake replied with surprisingly good humour, his voice lowering to match Taylor's, giving them an illusion of privacy as they bantered. "I'll have ya know, a McKenzie ride is rough, wild and fun as hell…" he whispered lewdly, as Taylor felt his face warm and his skin prickle warningly.

"I think I'm just fine, _not_ knowing, actually." He sniffed dismissively. "Your conquests aren't exactly something I'm interested in… I know that's probably hard to believe, when you're apparently so _irresistible_ to others, but-"

Jake laughed, his breath cool as it briefly brushed against Taylor's bare arm when he sighed. "Ya funny, Boy Scout, I'll give ya that." He chuckled quietly. "Truth is though, a dishonourable discharged an' a bad attitude tend to put folk off, if the hammock don't do it for me. Ain't many wanna try hook up in a hammock… 's why it were such a good investment."

Taylor frowned, choosing not to respond as he processed the confession. Instead he watched the little fox scampering ahead, telling himself firmly that Jake's apparent aversion to intimacy did _not_ make them in anyway relatable to one another. " _Mmrf_!" The little animal yipped, drawing Taylor from his musings as he narrowed his eyes at the creature..

"Where's he going?" Lila called in a nervous whisper, the tour guide obviously listening to the fox's movements.

"He's leaving us to die." Diego wailed mournfully, his words echoing ominously around them. "Can't say I blame him..." he added with a sigh.

Taylor rolled his eyes at Diego's melancholy, but ignored his pitiful comments. He watched the small fox dart along the path ahead, leading him a single direction, with the occasional tip or bark to encourage them along the way. "It can see in the dark, doofus." He explained. "It's leading us outta this stupid cave." He said, leading their odd conga line around a tight corner towards an alcove, which glowed with a strange greenish-blue light; that abruptly brought him to a halt.

 _An orb of Vaanu.._ ? He thought, startled by the discovery. **_Here_ ** _? But... why?_ He narrowed his eyes, reluctantly drawing nearer to the alcove.

"Uh, am I seeing things..? Or is there in fact, a strange and unnatural light, glowing in front of us?" Diego asked, giggling with the edge of hysteria.

"Looks like some sort of crystal, or gemstone." Quinn mused thoughtfully, the group converging around the strange discovery, allowing Taylor to duck around behind them, hiding his eyes from their view. "It's mounted into the wall of the cave somehow." She said in surprise. 

Taylor hovered at the back of the group, watching Quinn as she reached forward and stroked the perfect sphere which was half buried in the wall, his stomach tying itself into a series of small, but complex knots. 

"Certainly not natural." Aleister hummed thoughtfully, his tall form easy to pick out in the shadowy passage, by the ram rod straightness of his back. "Look, it's smoothly polished."

"Why did the fox lead us here?" Lila wondered aloud. "To use this as a light source? I'm not sure its bright enough." She added doubtfully, though Taylor sensed that she knew more about the orb than she was admitting. 

She seemed to do that a lot.

"Better than nothing," Diego insisted, reaching thoughtlessly for the ball with his free hand. "Let's see if we can get it out of the wall..." He said in a rush, as Taylor's knotted stomach abruptly hollowed. 

Diego tugged at the crystal orb with his fingers; and instantly fumbled, almost dropping it, when it popped out of the socket easily, landing in his hands with a soft bounce. He hummed and lifted the small ball before his face. "Are you guys seeing this?" He demanded, lowering it quickly and glancing around the group uneasily. "It's got a pair of friggin' handprints engraved in it!"

 _The Deep Guardian…_ Taylor thought, frowning and averting his eyes back the way they'd come, as he tried to puzzle out, just what the hell was going on. _So it's not even coincidence it's here… it's been deliberately_ **_planted_ ** _here. The real question is; for who?_

"I don't know about you, but _my_ hands do _not_ look anything even _remotely_ like that." Lila said with a pointed sneer.

Taylor snorted. He'd be more worried if they were. _Still_ , he thought frowning at the orb in Diego's palm thoughtfully. _Why would the Deep Guardian have left it_ **_here_ ** _? Wherever we are right now, we're nowhere near it's usual haunt… for it to have left-_ Taylor shivered unconsciously, grimacing at the implications of the importance of the orb.

Diego held it up between his fingers, showing off the small orbs hand shaped engravings to the rest of the group. Four, long, oddly shaped fingers. 

"Gotta be for a reason." Jake said thoughtfully, tipping his chin toward the orb. "Shorty, put ya hands in the markin's." He suggested to Diego.

Taylor felt all the air in his lungs leave him at once, though he calmed himself quickly by reminding himself, that _alone_ ; Diego's touch would do nothing. He nodded to himself, pointedly turning his head as if examining something beside him when he noticed Jake glance toward him.

"I dunno, man." Diego whistled lowly, his silhouette shaking its head nervously. "I've seen _Indiana Jones_ , you know? And I mean the real thing, not just Taylor's room." He joked awkwardly, clearing his throat quietly. "If I touch this and a boulder comes rolling through here, I am _out_."

Taylor rolled his eyes, wondering if he could pay Zahra enough to hack Diego's various series subscriptions and movie accounts, in an effort to give his overactive imagination less tv shows or movies to blur with reality.

"I can't, anyway!" Diego said, sounding remarkably relieved. "Both the handprints are for right hands… and _I_ only have one." He said with a new sense of cheer, as Taylor punched the bridge of his nose.

"I think two of us should try it then, and see what it does." Quinn suggested, as Taylor's heart skipped a beat.

Diego would _not_ cope well with _that_ outcome.

"Oh man, is someone getting Freaky Fridayed?" Diego asked, sounding genuinely _excited_ for the first time since they had first found the emergency shelter. " _Please_ tell me someone's getting Freaky Fridayed." He pleaded, his shadowy figure looking down briefly before looking up in Taylor's direction, as Taylor averted his gaze quickly. "Just not _me._ Here, Taylor!"

Taylor wasn't sure what possessed him to reach out and actually catch the orb. He supposed it was just a natural reaction. Without thought, his wrist flicked out, his fingers curling around the small orb gently. He scowled. This was _not_ good.

" _Damn_ ," Jake murmured, clicking his tongue. "Nice catch there, Boy Scout." He commented lightly, his hand already half raised and extended toward Taylor's hand, where the orb glowed with it's soft, unnatural green-blue light.

"Ha, Taylor's reflexes are literally _the best_ ." Diego snickered smugly. "And now I get to see someone _else_ get Freaky-"

"Wait-" Taylor tensed, Diego's voice disappearing as Jake's fingers touched the orb, immediately bathing the world in a blinding white light. " _Aah_ -!" Taylor hissed, slamming his eyes shut and covering them with his free arm.

"Godammit..!" Jake cursed, startled by the unexpected reaction. "I can't see a goddamn thing!" He snarled, his hand disappearing from the orb as he moved to cover his own eyes.

Slowly, Taylor sensed the piercing, bright light begin to fade. He tentatively lowered his arm, casting a brief glance around them cautiously, before lowering his arm fully. "Hmm..." he hummed, examining their surroundings thoughtfully, looking around the cavern which was lit with candles and torches along the walls

 _The same iron fittings I saw earlier._ He thought, a dismal sigh escaping him as he frowned. _Great, stuck in the stupid past with the stupid, confusing pilot; and Diego's probably freaking out already._ He glanced at Jake, scowling and shifting uncomfortably when he noticed the pilot had lowered his own arm and seemed to be staring at him. "What?" He demanded gruffly.

"Nothin', I jus'..." Jake said, shaking his head in bemusement. "I could've sworn…" he said, his eyes lingering on Taylor for a second longer, before he blinked and took a deep breath, glancing around them with a frown. "The hell is this..?" He wondered aloud, his sharp eyes carefully examining the cavern they found themselves in. 

A mine cart track ran through the course of the entire tunnel. " _Damn_..!" Jake said lowly, before calling over his shoulder. "Huh, guess touchin' the orb must've turned on these lights somehow… 'cause apparently 's a damn portable light switch." He scoffed, running his fingers through his hair with a sigh.

Taylor rolled his eyes with an irritated huff. "It's not a bloody light switch, you idiot. It's a-" he bit his lip _hard_ , forcing himself to shut up and turning away to scowl at the wall. _Are my eyes even safe now..?_ He wondered, closing then quickly and repeating the familiar chant. _My eyes are blue, my eyes are blue,_ **_my eyes are blue!_ **

"'S a what, exactly?" Jake asked, raising a brow at Taylor expectantly. "An'... where the hell's the rest o' the Get 'Long Gang?"

"Right now, I expect they're exactly where we left them… the only difference being that by now, Diego is probably freaking out pretty severely over our disappearing." Taylor replied sourly, sighing and knocking his head back against the nearest wall. _If I let go of the orb, we'll go back… but, this could be our best chance at finding the way out without having to keep_ **_touching_ ** _all the damn time_ . He thought, giddy at the thought of having some _space_ for a while.

"The hell're ya talkin' 'bout? We ain't left 'em anywhere, they were jus' bloody here!" Jake argued predictably. "Hey, don't be thinkin' I can't tell ya rollin' ya damn eyes, jus' 'cause ya closed 'em! We _ain't_ left 'em-"

Taylor's lips curved at Jake's accurate assumption of his rolling his eyes, shaking his head against the wall gently. "Yes, Top Gun, actually… we have." He said, with such confidence and certainty that Jake _actually_ shut up. "We are not in Kansas anymore, Toto." Taylor sniggered, snorting quietly in his own resigned sense of amusement.

Jake remained quiet for a long pause, studying his surroundings or Taylor himself, he wasn't sure which, but he was unsurprised when the pilot _did_ next speak, it was from much closer and with a definite air of suspicion. "Where the hell _are_ we?" He asked slowly. "An' why do I get the feelin' ya know more'n ya lettin' on 'bout this place?"

"You mean this place right now, or the hellhole that _is_ La Huerta in general?" Taylor asked, his heart skipping a beat nervously.

Jake took another moment to consider his reply. "They ain't the same?" He finally countered, as Taylor snorted quietly and hung his head in defeat.

He hadn't expected the pilot to work it out. "Hmm, I'm surprised you worked that out…" he admitted with a small, mirthless chuckle. He opened his eyes and glanced over at Jake in surprise when the pilot nudged his elbow, quickly looking away again. However, when the pilot said nothing more, he reluctantly raised his eyes to meet the other mans wary gaze. For a long pause, he said nothing, hoping the pilot would give up. However, Jake waited patiently, unflinching and unblinking, until finally Taylor sighed and rolled his eyes.

"This little doo-hick," he said quietly, lifting his palm and revealing the orb. "Is an Orb of Vaanu… they're essentially little balls of power, which can transport you to a specific time, for as long as you hold onto it." He said blandly, raising a challenging brow at Jake.

"Right," Jake snorted. "Magic balls… heard a lotta things in my time, but that's a new one, Boy Scout." He chuckled, shaking his head and looking around the cave they were in curiously.

"Uh huh, and _portable light switch_ is so much more likely?" Taylor scoffed, amused by Jake's bland rebuff. "You'd really rather go with _that_?"

"Look, ya don't wanna tell me-" Jake sighed, turning back to Taylor with a small frown.

"I did tell you," Taylor interrupted, lifting a shoulder dismissively. "You chose not to believe it." He said, pushing away from the wall and stretching as he looked around, wincing and hissing quietly as he dropped his hand to his injured side. "Urgh… that stings." He muttered.

"C'mon, Boy Scout, ya can't _seriously_ expect me to believe ya ain't jus' pullin'me leg, here," Jake scoffed. "'Sides, ya said ya gotta be holdin' it, but I ain't even touchin' it no more." He pointed out, gesturing to the orb in Taylor's palm and waving his hands beside his face.

"But you _did_ , Mister McGrabby," Taylor reminded him, snorting quietly. "You're a touch first and think later kinda guy, aren't you?" 

Jake shifted uncomfortably. "Not always," he muttered sulkily. He glanced at Taylor, who ignored him in favour of looking around more thoughtfully. "So… why the hell ain't ya put it down?" He asked, raising a brow at Taylor's continjed indifference to him. "If ya do, won't we go right back?"

"Yep," Taylor admittedly distractedly, dawdling his way up the mine cart tracks. "But, with the torches all lit right now, we might stand a better chance of finding our way out of here." He said.

Jake snorted. "Right… an' I'm sure _that_ decision ain't got _nothin'_ to do with not wantin' to hold hands no more." He said slyly, smirking when Taylor tripped over his own foot. "Heh, thought so." He drawled smugly. 

Taylor pointedly didn't answer, ignoring the pilot and humming along to his music slightly louder than was strictly necessary, which Jake seemed to find hilarious. As they passed a rickety mine cart, the pilot cast a brief glance inside pausing abruptly to do a double take. " _Holy_..." He murmured, glancing up at Taylor, who had paused and glanced back with a raised brow. "Boy Scout, take a look at this!" He said eagerly.

Taylor rolled his eyes but glanced in as requested. "Huh," he hummed, pursing his lips thoughtfully. "So _that's_ what this place is…"

"Yeah." Jake huffed eagerly. "Gold! _That's_ what this cave is; 's a friggin' _gold mine_!" He realised, gesturing to the tunnels stretching out around them. "This damn island gets weirder by the goddamn second..." he huffed, as Taylor snorted with amusement.

 _You have_ **_no_ ** _idea,_ he thought with amusement, waving away the pilots questioning gaze. At least _someone_ seemed to have finally noticed.

Jake rolled his eyes and looked back into the mine cart, his fingers dancing lightly over the small chunks of glittering, solid gold. Taylor raised a curious brow when the pilot peeked up at him with a devilish grin. "Hey, Boy Scout... how much d'ya think ya can fit in ya pockets?"

Taylor laughed, amused despite his best efforts. "Are you seriously suggesting we steal gold from some random mine cart?" Taylor asked, biting his lip as he felt the awkward _bubble_ in his gut again.

"Are ya seriously suggestin' we _shouldn't_?" The pilot countered, flashing him a cocky wink. 

Smirking at the pilot, Taylor glanced into the mine cart, before reaching out to snag a gold nugget, hefting its weight in his palm. "Heh, that's my Boy Scout." Jake snickered smugly, taking his own nugget.

"I am not _anybody's anything,"_ Taylor said, throwing the pilot a pointed look. "These are pretty heavy…" he said, changing the subject quickly and grinning over at Jake. "I don't think you'd be able to carry many… but, half a dozen would probably buy you your own _private_ beach in Costa Rica." He said, winking as he hooked out another few odd shaped chunks of the precious metal.

"Ya reckon?" Jake asked, taking a lump for himself and examining it thoughtfully. He looked up at Taylor, laughing at the bulge of his jeans pockets around the numerous nuggets which he'd stuffed into them. "Ya comin' to buy that beach with me, Boy Scout? Or ya got 'nother spot in mind?" He asked knowingly.

Taylor's smirk faltered, fading slightly as he looked away. "I'll be heading elsewhere," he admitted quietly, clearing his throat and forcing a small grin. "Maybe I'll pay you one of these, just to fly me somewhere remote…" he said with a strained laugh. "Somewhere full of trees and mountains. Somewhere…" he trailed off, his eyes on the floor as his hand slowly balled at his side.

"Somewhere nothin' an' nobody can find ya." Jake said quietly. "Not even ya 'lil buddy, huh?" He added, raising a brow when Taylor pointedly looked away and didn't respond. "An' uh… is he _aware_ that ya bailin' on 'im, soon as we touch down?"

Taylor sucked in a deep breath, his eyes stinging as he looked up at the ceiling. "It's uh, it's not really worth worrying him about." He said tightly. "So much going on already, you know." He said, clearing his throat.

"This mine doesn't look abandoned..." he said, narrowing his eyes thoughtfully as he gazed around the passage, unsubtly changing the subject. "Which is pretty sketchy because, if we are in a time when it _isn't_ abandoned… then where is everyone?"

"Hmm," Jake hummed, pausing a moment longer before turning toward the end of the tunnel himself. "Well, whatever's goin' on, it prob'ly ain't on the up an' up..."

"What do you mean?" Taylor asked curiously, glancing toward the pilot and raising a brow at his thoughtful expression. 

Jake hesitated again, before turning to Taylor as he sighed. "Now, I ain't sayin'I believe in ya magic Time Warp crystal, but… this equipment _is_ ancient." He said, gesturing around them. "Definitely ain't the sorta stuff ya'd find at a Rourke International site." He snorted, scrubbing his hand over his stubbled chin slowly. "When I was in the military, I served near a lotta minin' operations, includin' a coupla Rourke's…" he said, grimacing at whatever memory he was recalling. "Massive machines that dwarf skyscrapers. Ya know, the kind that rob the earth blind... an' leave it barren." The pilot explained with a disgusted sigh.

"Never took you for an environmentalist." Taylor huffed, his lips twitching as the pilot laughed quietly and shook his head.

"I ain't." Jake replied, grinning over at Taylor lopsidedly and winking playfully. "Jus' think ya reap what ya sow." He huffed.

"So _you,_ Mister Pick A Fight And Distrusts Everyone But Himself… _you_ believe in karma?" Taylor asked, his disbelief clear despite his sarcasm.

"I don't _always_ pick a fight," Jake laughed quietly. "An' I don't always distrust _everyone,_ unlike _some folk_ I could mention…" he said with a pointed look at Taylor, who looked away with an innocent smirk. "But... I ain't 'bout to let folk gimme orders no more, or try'n tell me how to feel." He added, sighing and running his hand through his hair in agitation. "Look, end o' the day, it don't matter what _I_ believe." He said tersely, turning away. "But in my life, karma's made it pretty damn clear that _it_ believes in _me_." The pilot said, glancing back at Taylor over his shoulder. ".. we oughta get goin'." He muttered, stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets and setting off at a dejected amble.

Taylor watched him go with a conflicting surge of bafflement and concern. The pilot had, he suspected, shared more than he had intended. He frowned, more than used to the odd, vulnerable feeling which often followed oversharing; ironically, he noted, because the pilot somehow seemed to wheedle things out of him. It couldn't be a good sign that he could emphasize with the pilot so much.

For the moment however, there was no way to put distance between them; and quite opposed to his usual nature, Taylor found himself wanting to smooth away the awkward feelings Jake was no doubt experiencing. He looked back at the mine cart clicking his tongue and raising a brow as he considered for a moment.

"Hey," he called at last, grinning widely when the pilot stopped and turned to look back at him. "I've got an idea, Top Gun. Why walk... when we can ride?" He asked, smirking as he tipped his head to the cart beside him, waggling his brows suggestively.

"Ya serious?" The pilot asked, walking back with a curious grin. He raised his brow when Taylor made a mocking bow, sweeping his arm toward the cart for Jake to get in first. "Kinda snug… ya ain't gonna run 'way halfway, are ya?" He asked with a playful smirk. 

Taylor rolled his eyes. "Just get in the damn cart." He huffed, righting himself and moving behind the cart as Jake sniggered and climbed inside. "Take the break off for me…" he said, bracing his hands over the rim of the back of the cart.

Jake reached over the rim and disengaged the break as he was told. "Huh, see? You _can_ still follow orders, Top Gun!" Taylor teased, laughing when Jake rolled his eyes and muttered something which he pretended not to have heard. "Okay… here we go!" He cried, excited despite the close quarters as he pushed hard at the cart, getting it moving along the track nicely, before lightly hopping up and springing inside himself.

The cart creaked as it began to roll down the slope, its rusty wheels slowly picking up speed on it's own, after Taylor had jumped inside. The flames of the candles and torched began to blur as they soon sped through the tunnel. "Sure ain't a bad way to travel, Boy Scout!" Jake yelled over the loud rumbling of the cart on its tracks, flashing an excited grin at Taylor.

Taylor chuckled and leaned back in the cart, subtly trying to avoid touching the pilot as much as possible. He forgot about their proximity however, when he caught sight of something ahead of them. "Shit… you might wanna take that back, Top Gun!" He warned, pointing at a large wooden barricade that blocked their path, the cart barreling straight towards it. Taylor tensed and half raised himself to leap free, his hand tangled in Jake's jacket to pull him out with him, when Jake took his _own_ precautionary measures.

"Geddown!" Jake roared, throwing himself over Taylor, covering him as the cart shattered the barricade and ground to a stop. Taylor hissed as Jake tumbled against him inside the cart. He was only barely able to hold onto the crystal orb.

" _Urghh_..." Taylor said, wrinkling his nose as be lay on his back in the cart, mildly winded but otherwise unharmed. His heart leaped abruptly, as he recalled his travel partner. "Jake! Are you oka-" Taylor's throat closed abruptly, an awkward whine escaping him as he looked down to see Jake's head in his lap. The pilot looked up, his hair tousled and visibly blushing from his position.

"Er... that... weren't on purpose." He stuttered, as Taylor felt his heart skip a beat. Then another. He panicked, scrabbling backward in the cart as his breath quickened.

"Get off of me!" He panted quickly, his skin prickling as sweat began to bead at his hairline.

"Sorry, sorry!" Jake quickly apologised, his blush worsening as he hastened to right himself in light of Taylor's obvious discomfort. "Promise I didn't feel nothin'!" He said, scrambling out of the cart and then stepping back, his hands raised and his eyes wide as he continued to babble and stammer. "That ain't what I… I mean, that-that came out wrong!"

Taylor closed his eyes and took a deep breath, relaxing as Jake did everything he could to alleviate his panic. He forced his body to calm down, reminding himself; it was only an accident. It meant nothing. "Heh," he said thickly, finally opening his eyes and grinning over at Jake weakly. "Don't think I've ever seen _you_ blush before." He teased, a small apology for his meltdown.

Not that he _needed_ to apologise, of course.

Jake's eyes swept over him briefly, before he cracked a small grin himself, lowering his hands and stuffing them in his pockets again. "Heh, ya still ain't." He chuckled. "'S jus' the fire light, playin' tricks." He said, winking playfully.

Taylor laughed quietly, finally clambering out of the mine cart and gathering up his spilt gold nuggets. Considering his lack of documentation, it was going to be pretty hard, trying to warn a living. This would help him get started; and it would hardly be missed, though, considering it belonged to the Hydra, he didn't really care if it was.

He sighed, checking his headphones as he glances around them curiously, pausing and raising a brow when he noticed a pale white light, illuminating a distant wall of the tunnel.

"Hey, Top Gun, see that?" He asked, tipping his chin in the lights direction. The pilot turned, his eyes widening in joyful surprise. "Kinda looks like-"

"Daylight." Jake exclaimed. "Nice eye, Boy Scout!" He flashed Taylor a brief grin, who returned the gesture with an indifferent shrug. "That's gotta be our way outta here!"

Jake and Taylor jogged eagerly toward the light, casting one another occasional glances when they thought the other wouldn't notice. Taylor was most annoyed to discover his body was growing warmer, his stomach overwhelmed by the strange bubbling sensation again. He frowned distractedly as they rounded a bend, until Jake abruptly threw an arm out in front of him. " _Whoa!_ " He cried in surprise, even taking an unconscious step backward.

"What the-?" He demanded, narrowing his eyes at Jake, until his eyes slid ahead, realising that the pilot had, for once, been quicker than him. He looked at a blackened human skull grinning down at them from atop a pike, firmly planted in the dirt. "Oh, _shit_..." Taylor cursed lowly, taking a cautious step back. "Jake," he said, reaching over and taking hold of the pilots elbow. "Jake, don't look at it." He said, looking over at the pilot and noting with dismay that he was utterly entranced by the skull.

"Jake…" Taylor called insistently, tugging at his sleeve roughly as Jake shuffled forward half a step. "Jake, no! Come on, look _away_!" He cried, jerking the pilot roughly to try and make him look away.

Jake shoved Taylor hard in the chest, knocking him to the floor in surprise. His blank expression never changed, as he stared vacantly at the blackened skull. "Jake!" Taylor cried, springing back to his feet and wrapping his arms around the pilots chest, yanking him back and preventing him from reaching out to touch the skull. " _Jake!_ " He yelled, glancing at the skull and noting with horror that its eyes glowed an ominous red, its teeth beginning to click together as it laughed at his attempts to sway the pilot.

Taylor scowled, grunting and yanking the pilot back as best he could, exerting every ounce of strength he could to pull the pilot away from the skull. "C'mon, Top Gun…" he hissed, viciously yanking Jake back as the pilot struggled against his hold. "You don't let anyone tell you what to do, remember? _Fight it, godammit-!_ " He snarled, scowling at the skull as it slowly rose from the pike, a dark shadow rising with it and stretching toward them like long, clawed fingers.

Taylor grit his teeth, glaring at the shadows as they approached, fighting to hold Jake back from the evil spirit. " _Fuck you!_ " He yelled viciously, loosening one arm from Jake's torso and flinging the Orb of Vaanu at the cackling skull. Instantly, they were plunged into the unnatural and endless darkness; and Jake fell slack against Taylor's arm.

"Wha..?" The pilot mumbled sleepily, shaking his head as if he were waking from a long, deep sleep. Or a hangover. "Wha… what jus' happened..?" Jake groaned, as Taylor quickly released him, though he hovered closer than he really wished to, incase the pilot should prove unsteady on his feet. 

"Are you okay?" Taylor asked quietly, flitting his eyes over the pilot quickly before quickly turning his head, realising his eyes had adjusted to the darkness around them.

"Whaddaya mean, _am I okay_ ?" Jake demanded, pressing his palm to his head and groaning quietly as he seemed to try and clear his head. "Boy Scout, what the _hell_ jus' happened?" He repeated irritably. 

Taylor hesitated, worrying his lip between his teeth. Did he tell the truth? Or should he just… fuzz a few details? Neither option held much appeal, so he decided to try another tactic first. "What do you remember?" He asked.

"I…" Jake paused, taking his time to think for an extended pause. "We rode the cart… saw daylight, an' then…" he hesitated, groaning again and shaking his head lightly. "'S fuzzy... there was somethin'- _ah_! The skull!" He yelped, shuddering violently as he recalled the awful image.

Taylor swallowed thickly and nodded once. "I threw the crystal away..." Taylor confessed quietly. "We probably won't be able to find it again now." He added, despite the fact he could easily find it if he wished, even with its unnatural light extinguished. "Besides, it's been used up now."

Taylor could just _hear_ Jake roll his eyes.

He glanced sideways at the pilot, watching his hands reach blindly through the air. "I can't find the skull neither." He said, unconscious of Taylor sagging with relief. "What the hell kinda minin' operation they runnin' here, anyhow?" Jake muttered, giving up on his search and lifting his hands to his hair, dragging it back from his face in a motion of agitation. 

Taylor was relieved to see the pilot was unharmed, the realisation of which almost drove him straight to another panic attack. The _last_ thing he needed was to be growing attached, to be _friendly_ with the pilot; or anyone, for that matter. _Especially_ now. He shook his head, telling himself it was only relief that the evil spirit had not succeeded in consuming the pilots soul. "We should really find-" he began, only to trail off when they heard voices calling them.

" _Taylor_!"

" _Jake_!"

Several pairs of hurried footsteps could be heard running up behind them amid the calls. Taylor turned toward the approaching sounds, careful to keep his eyes lowered to the floor. " _There_ you guys are!" Diego cried, his relief palpable even through the darkness. "Where'd you go?" He demanded, his hands fumbling blindly in the darkness. "Also, where _are_ you..? I need to-"

Taylor sighed and closed his eyes in lieu of rolling them, reaching over to slide his hand into Diego's fumbling grip. "I'm right _here_ , assbutt." He huffed, feigning a weary sigh. "Honestly, I go on _one_ tiny trip through time and you freak out on me." He chuckled carelessly.

" _Through time-_?!" Diego yelped loudly, his voice echoing in the darkness around them.

"What in the heavens are you talking about?" Aleister demanded haughtily. "You were there one second, listening to Diego's prattling about that wretched film, and the next you were not! _Ergo_ , you disappeared! Which, I might add, _is impossible_!"

Taylor had never wished to roll his eyes more. "Calm down, we were right here." He said matter of factly. "We just followed the torches down the path here." He said, easing his hand free from Diego's and stuffing it into his pocket. "Oh! And I stole some gold." 

Aleister released a heavy, frustrated sigh. " _What_ torches?" He bit out, pausing to consider Taylor's words, before continuing in an outraged tone. "And what _gold_?! There's no sign of any-"

"Oh, what? You mean you can't see any of the gold here, in the pitch black gold mine?" Taylor snarked, growing irritated with the albino and his haughty, better than thou temperament. "Wow, you _do_ surprise me Iceman...maybe if you took your head outta you-"

"Taylor!" Diego scolded, his hand swinging blindly through the darkness before finally landing a soft swat on Taylor's shoulder. "Stop being a jerk… you disappeared and it was _scary_ , okay?" He said, his tone betraying his lingering unease.

Taylor sighed and turned away, scowling at the wall as the others talked together quietly. "Perhaps the pilot can be more forthcoming about this mystery," Aleister sneered pompously.

Taylor considered throwing a lump of gold at his head, but decided it would be a waste of good gold. He needed it, after all.

Jake remained silent for a short pause longer, before he cleared his throat gruffly. "Look, I dunno what the hell happened jus' now," he said slowly, his tone distracted. Taylor shivered. He couldn't blame the pilot for still being slightly out of it. He just hoped he would recover soon. "But what _did_ happen is; we found us a way out. We saw daylight, jus' up 'head."

Jake paused again, chuckling quietly as he turned in Taylor's general direction. "'S ya favourite part next, Boy Scout." He said playfully, sounding almost his usual, annoyingly confident self again.

"Lucky me," he muttered sullenly. He noted that the other four were still linked together, Quinn shuffling closer to Jake and yelping softly when she bumped into his side. The pilot chuckled, his hand slipping into the redheads easily and his other extending into the darkness, waiting for Taylor to reclaim his place at the head of the train.

With a heavy, very exaggerated sigh, Taylor stomped over to the group and turned his back on them, scowling when he slid his hand into Jake's and immediately felt his face begin to burn, the bubbling in his stomach once again making itself known. _This is_ **_beyond_ ** _not good._ He thought sourly, saying nothing as he began to lead the group forward again.

They trekked on in near silence, their shoes scuffing against the floor as they shuffled along in single file. Taylor wrinkled his nose as they made their way forward, noticing an awful smell, lingering in the air. He ignored it as best he could, but it steadily grew stronger; and he couldn't fight off a small choke of disgust.

"Ya doin' alright, Boy Scout?" Jake asked quietly, his hand briefly squeezing Taylor's in concern and comfort.

"Yeah…" Taylor lied, pinching his nose shut in the desperate hopes it would help. "Just… can't stand that god awful _smell_ !" He said, grimacing at the overwhelming scent. " _Urgh…_ it's like, out of date meat or something." He complained, whining pitifully and _wishing_ the awful smell would disappear. 

The silence was thick, daunting. At last, Jake finally replied. "Uh… think maybe all the stress is gettin' to ya, Boy Scout." He drawled quietly, forcing a small chuckle which he clearly did not feel. "There ain't no smell like that, far 's I can tell."

Taylor felt a cold shiver run through him, his pulse jumping as he unconsciously squeezed Jake's hand. _That too, now..?_ He thought in dismay, his steps faltering as he closed his eyes briefly, before forcing them open and quickly resuming his previous pace, taking shallow breaths through his mouth and continuing to pinch his nose.

The silence stretched around them, broken only by the shuffle of their feet against the ground. Finally, Jake had had enough. "It was right bloody _here_." He exploded, pulling the group to a halt. Taylor hummed in vague agreement, knowing without a doubt that he hadn't miscalculated their location.

"Jake, I don't see anything..." Quinn said uncertainly. Taylor rolled his eyes. He knew they were scared, but stating the obvious seemed kind of redundant to him.

"I know its been a little while since I've been outside," Diego said hesitantly, "but I remember 'day' being a little... _brighter_?"

"I'm feeling my way along the wall," Lila said, patting her hand against the wall to indicate to the others where the rock was. "... and it seems like this part of the tunnel collapsed."

"How?" Jake growled, his hand tugging at Taylor's as the pilot stepped up to the wall and ran his hand over it himself. "We _just_ saw daylight coming from over here!"

"Well, technically it was here, yes…" Taylor countered flippantly. "But it could have been any time between now and a hundred years ago, really."

"Ya _still_ tryin' to sell that 'lil bauble as a Time Warp crystal?" Jake laughed in exasperation. 

"Time _travel_ , Top Gun, keep up." Taylor corrected cheerfully, laughing at the pilots amused groan. "I'll leave the Time Warp to Tim Curry and his buddies."

"That man could crush my head between his thighs, _any_ day…" Diego sighed dreamily, as Taylor burst out cackling. "Oh, uh… I'm, uh, not at home right now, am I? I mean, if everyone could just forget I said that-"

"Oh, man, I _wish_ I could've got that on camera," Taylor laughed, sighing as he chortled quietly. "Nice job on the over sharing, dude." He sniggered, humming as he tried to sober himself.

The group remained silent for several seconds, save Taylor's laughter, before Quinn tentatively cleared her throat. "Lets just... keep looking," she suggested awkwardly. "We have to be close."

Taylor shrugged and led the group further into the darkness, taking his time, as he guided them through the blinding darkness. He noticed the odd, shimmering of a glowing light close to the floor ahead; and assumed it was another Orb of Vaanu, making a mental note to avoid bringing the groups attention to it.

Suddenly, Taylor felt his foot sink into a deep puddle of water. " _Aaiieee!_ " He yelped a startled curse, releasing the pilots hand and shaking his head urgently as he backed away, disappearing from the head of the group and flattening himself against the wall.

"Boy Scout?" Jake called in concern. "Where the hell ya-?" The pilot broke off with a quiet curse, when he stepped into the water with a splash himself, the others quickly following him, before jerking to an abrupt halt.

"Are we... standing in water..?" Quinn asked curiously. Taylor shivered as he huddled against the wall, folding in on himself in an attempt to shrink away from the water.

"Taylor!" Diego called urgently. "Taylor, where are you?!" He demanded, splashing gently as his silhouette separated from the group and looked around for him. Taylor averted his eyes, looking at the floor in vacant horror.

"Dammit," Jake cursed, as Taylor trembled uncontrollably. "Caves flooded. Dead end." He muttered distractedly, turning around slowly. 

"Maybe not… see _that_?" Quinn said excitedly, rushing forward and pointing to a small patch of shimmering light. Taylor quickly closed his eyes, even turning away as the others began to move in front of him.

"It looks like... daylight!" Lila splashing into deeper water. "But it looks like its… coming up through the water?" The tour guide added uncertainly.

"I bet that's an underwater tunnel to outside." Quinn said thoughtfully, her voice small and afraid, but determined despite her fear. "We can swim through."

Taylor stifled a hysterical giggle and instantly, Diego seemed to be at his side, his hand cautious but reassuring as he slid it into Taylor's and squeezed carefully.

"Swim?" Aleister scoffed with derision, several splashes indicating he was backing away. "You may leave me here, thank you very much. Let my family know I hated them."

"Get ya dumb ass over here, Malfoy." Jake growled firmly, grabbing hold of the pale boys arm tightly despite Aleister's attempts to wriggle away. "I'll drag ya sorry hide outta here my- _goddamn_ -self!"

Taylor heard splashing; and correctly assumed Jake had dived beneath the water, keeping his promise and pulling Aleister alongside him.

"Taylor… it's gonna be okay, okay?" Diego promised in a whisper, as Quinn took a deep breath and dove into the water, after giving Jake and Aleister a few seconds head start. "Look, you can come _with_ me, yeah? You can hold onto me, and I'll pull us both through, okay?" He assured.

"Or, better idea, I go back to the shelter and just meet you all at the airstrip." Taylor hissed, gasping as he shivered violently. "Diego, I can't… I _can't_ do this!" He whispered harshly, flinching at the sound of Lila diving into the water.

"You can, Taylor, you _can_ … and more to the point, you _have_ to." Diego said sympathetically, chafing Taylor's arm lightly. "C'mon dude… let _me_ help _you_ for once, yeah?"

Taylor shook his head silently, trembling too severely to respond verbally. He whined as Diego took his hands and gently led his reluctant body back to the water, clinging to his side as Doego paused and let him take a minute to adjust to being in the water.

He frowned as he felt something bump gently against his leg. He bent and blindly reached forward curiously, and after a second, he managed to pick it up. _What the helps is that?_ He wondered distractedly. He peeked at the object through eyes which were barely cracked into narrow slits. _A gas mask..?_ _I guess that must have been the smell earlier, but… why is it_ ** _here_** _?_ He mused briefly, tossing it back onto the water with a dismissive sigh.

"You ready, Taylor?" Diego asked quietly, gently squeezing Taylor's hands. 

Taylor laughed bitterly. "Not in the slightest." He scoffed derisively. "Can't I just-"

"Taylor, even if there was time, you couldn't find your way back _now_ ," Diego sighed, squeezing his hands again. "I'm a pretty good swimmer, okay? You can keep hold of my shirt; and just keep kicking your legs like crazy, okay?" He said reassuringly. "C'mon, Taylor, you can _do_ this."

Taylor swallowed thickly. He was fairly confident he could _not_ do this, but he wasn't about to argue any further. "Diego," he whispered quietly. "I'm scared." He admitted, whining quietly when Diego squeezed his hands.

"I know." Diego replied just as quietly. "I'll get us out as fast as possible, okay?" He promised, turning around and pressing Taylor's hands to the back of his shirt. "Just keep holding on, okay?"

Taylor hummed a vague response, which was neither confirmation nor rejection. He peeked at the water through narrowly cracked eyes, his heart hammering wildly against his chest. "Okay… deep breath, Taylor!" Diego called, lowering himself into the water and dragging a reluctant Taylor with him.

Taylor sucked in the largest breath he ever remembered taking, holding it deep in his chest; as Diego disappeared beneath the water, taking him down with him.

Diego was determined to get them through the water safely. He knew Taylor was _beyond_ terrified, but he had trusted Diego to help him. The salt water immediately stung his eyes as he dove beneath the surface, but he forced himself to keep them open so he could see where he needed to go.

The refracting sunlight gave vague shape to the underwater cavern. Diego swam forward, struggling at first with Taylor's added weight, but quickly getting a handle on how to maneuver them, as Taylor began to kick his legs frantically. He turned his eyes across the open space before him, his stinging eyes making out the blurry image of seaweed vines and jagged rocks, which he carefully avoided.

He pressed forward, ignoring the beautiful shapes and colours which took shape out of the gloomy depths. He grit his teeth as his lungs began to sting, protesting the long pause between breaths. Just before the ache became too uncomfortable, and he ran out of air entirely, he cleared the underwater tunnel, and kicked his way towards the sparkling surface. 

He gasped as he burst free from the water, blinking rapidly to try and clear the remaining stinging sensations from his eyes. " _Whew_... did it!" He cheered in relief, glancing around to find himself in the mouth of a huge ocean cave. His heart stopped. 

He was also _alone._

"Taylor?!" He yelled, searching the water for his best friend. " _Taylor_!" He cried desperately, taking another huge gulp of air and quickly diving back beneath the surface, pulling himself back through the water along the path he'd just taken, searching in every direction for his friend.

After a minute of searching, Diego had found nothing; and was forced to resurface for more air. " _Hey! What the hell're ya doin'?!"_ He heard over the crash of the waves, pausing to tread water carefully, as he turned to catch sight of Jake and the others waiting on the sand. Jake was standing with Quinn beside him, watching the ocean to check everyone escaped, while Aleister was flopped in an undignified heap at the waters edge, with Lila crouched beside him.

" _I can't find Taylor!_ " He yelled back hysterically, watching Quinn turn and whisper urgently to Jake, who whipped around to face her in obvious disbelief. Diego didn't dare pause any longer, sucking in a huge gulp of air and diving beneath the surface again as Jake sprinted back into the waves.

He plunged back into the depths, forcing his eyes open to fight against the sting of the seawater once more. All he could hear in any direction, was the swirling currents in his ears; and the thundering of his own frantic heartbeat against his ribscage. _Taylor, where are you?!_ He thought desperately, imagining best friends sarcastic, salty attitude and his rare, but beautiful smile. His eyes stung, but this time Diego was sure it was nothing to do with the salt water. He pushed himself deeper into the gloomy deaths, his breath beginning to burn in his lungs. He grit his teeth tightly, desperately fighting the instinct to swim up for air, to the point that he felt dizzy.

He startled suddenly, a jet of bubbles leaving his mouth as a hand closed on his shoulder. He spun in the water to see Jake, the pilots eyes fearful but determined as he jabbed Diego in the chest and then pointed at the surface.

Diego desperately wanted to argue, but Jake was already swimming on, heading deeper into the gloomy depths; and Diego's vision was beginning to spot with black. He reluctantly kicked to the surface, gasping when he finally broke through, panic raging through him.

" _Diego_!" Quinn called, waving frantically at him as she turned briefly to say something to the others, who were waiting at the edge of the water with fraught looks of concern. "Diego! Over here! Come on!" She yelled.

Diego hesitated, looking down into the innocently swirling water which had stolen his best friend from him. _I promised I would keep him safe…_ he thought with dismay, his throat burning as he choked with grief. _I promised he would be okay, and I-_ he shook his head, sniffing back his tears as he scowled at the water, sucked in an enormous breath; and dove down its murky depths once again.

Taylor had known it was a bad idea, but it had been obvious there was no way Diego would leave without him. If he could sigh while slowly dying underwater, he would have. Instead he hung limply in the water, his hands still raised over his head as he blinked up through the gloom slowly.

The first vine had curled around his ankle shortly after they'd entered the underwater tunnel, Diego already angling upward towards the surface. Taylor had already been scowling, his music player having died on him mid-beat as soon as it hit the water. It was now floating somewhere behind him, lost in its watery grave.

Like he soon would be.

He didn't regret his choice to let go of Diego's shirt. If the vines had got hold of him, then his brother could be stuck down there with him, slowly drowning and forced to contemplate his existence while he waited for death to stop dicking around and come for him.

Taylor's heart had accelerated at first, when he had struggled viciously against the vines. But as they'd dragged him deeper into the cold depths, Taylor's flailing had lessened, his heart slowing as he came to accept his fate.

How ironic that he spent his whole life, determinedly running away, avoiding his destined _fate_ ; only to discover that he was in fact destined to drown, after all.

If he had the air to spare, he might've laughed. But Taylor was stubborn even when dying; and he was determined to hang on to his last breath for as long as he could.

His vision had long been spotted with black, his skin numb to the cold chill of the water. He had _no idea_ if his eyes were blue or gold or any other colour, nor did he care anymore. Who was going to see them down here, anyway?

He blinked slowly, hoping Diego knew he held no grudge; that he was in fact, quite peaceful. 

For once.

He noticed movement on the edge of his blackened vision, turning his head and wondering if Cetus was coming for him. Instead, he found himself blinking without comprehension, at _Jake_ , the pilot's eyes frantic with fear and concern as he swam toward him quickly.

" _Pbbl…_ " a bubble escaped his lips, his brows furrowing slightly as his hand drifted slowly to the pilots hair, which streamed around his face like a sandy fan. His lips twitched into a small, soft smile as his fingertip wove between the ends of the silky strands, his eyelids growing heavy.

Maybe death wasn't such a jerk, letting him see such a handsome face before he died.

The darkness at the edges of his vision abruptly surged inward, obscuring Jake's terrified face from Taylor as a blissful wave of unconsciousness rose up and consumed him, gently sweeping him away from his own death.

Time was nothing, meaningless, empty. _How long do I have to wait here..?_ He wondered distantly, lost in the comforting blackness. _Hmm… I never expected to feel so at ease with dying. Huh, to spend your whole life avoiding something; but then embrace it so easily, when it saves someone you're close to_ . He thought, acknowledging his brotherly relationship with Diego fondly. _I hope he's alright…_

"... _Taylor-!_ " 

_Diego?_ He thought, certain he had heard his best friends voice. _Maybe it's just a memory… perhaps that's what death is, reliving past moments._ He wondered idly. _We had some good ones… so that might not be too bad._ He conceded. Despite his lingering thoughts of Diego, it was a different memory which first occurred to him, a face clouded by fear, but framed with a halo of long sandy hair. _… Jake?_

" _He's not breathing, Jake!_ " Diego's voice was frantic, louder this time than last. Taylor want sure which memory this was supposed to be, he didn't remember anyone not breathing since they came to the stupid island.

" _This_ **_cannot_ ** _happen!_ " Lila's outraged cry followed, as Taylor puzzled over what had happened. Had he missed something between them all? He was certain he would have remembered this. _"You_ **_have_ ** _to bring him back!_ "

Taylor began to feel uneasy. Why was he recalling their voices about something, he had no memory of?

" _The hell d'ya think I'm bloody well doin'?!_ " Jake snarled viciously in reply. Taylor almost wished he could laugh, something about the pilot's irritation always amused him. He thought distantly, that it might be that little dimple he always formed in the middle of his brow. " _Give 'im some goddamn space, already!_ "

Taylor felt something strange, which alarmed him. Could the dead still feel? It felt like his chest was being hammered with a rough, _warm_ hammer. Distinctly unpleasant. 

" _Fair warning, Jake, but he probably isn't gonna thank you for this next part-"_

_"I don't give a shit! I ain't jus' gonna let 'im-!"_

Taylor liked _this_ part of dying, much less than the last part. This part was beginning to _hurt._ He noticed a speck of light in the darkness, a tiny beacon which he wished he could block out by closing or covering his eyes. His chest ached dully, a fire slowly flickering to life, as the rough pounding finally stopped. 

" _C'mon, Boy Scout…_ " Jake's voice whispered through his head, the pilots heart racing in his ears as gentle fingers touched his jaw and tipped back his head. " _Don't quit on us now!_ " The pilot pleaded thickly, inhaling deeply before Taylor felt warmth against his mouth.

Instantly, the speck of light began to grow, blinding him as the world suddenly blazed into colour, light and life around him. Jake blew a steady stream of air from his lungs into Taylor's, his chest rising slowly.

For half a heartbeat, his _own_ heartbeat, Taylor realised belatedly; Taylor lay still, frozen by the sensation of soft, warm lips against his own. Something he _knew_ he would never experience, _could never_ experience. When his awed disbelief turned abruptly to panic; Taylor naturally reacted in typical manner.

" _Oof!_ " Jake gasped, grabbing his jaw after Taylor's fist abruptly connected with it, driving his face away from him.

" _Kff_ !" Taylor coughed, scrabbling frantically backwards in the sand. " _Kff! Kff!_ " He rolled to his side, hacking up the water which had been sitting heavily in his lungs.

" _Taylor_ !" Diego's cry of relief was so loud, Taylor winced, covering his ears with his hands as he panted for breath. "Oh thank _god…_ Taylor-!"

"Give 'im a second, Shorty… he's uh, a 'lil disoriented." Jake said gruffly, though he sounded amused. "Gotta say, Boy Scout… been thanked a lotta ways 'fore, but uh, heh... that's a new one." He chuckled, as Taylor blinked and tried to calm his racing heart.

Everything was too _loud._ He couldn't think clearly with so much _noise_ everywhere. The others stood nearby, wisely keeping their distance as Jake had suggested, yet Taylor could hear them all. He could hear their hearts, two steady and calm, one still accelerated with fear, two just beginning to slow with relief.

He could hear their breath, Jake's slightly gruffer and quickened from his rescue of Taylor from the water and from the CPR he now realised the pilot had given him. Diego's was still too quick, like his heart, his fear a thick, sour stench; like lemons being squeezed, right under his nose.

Taylor groaned, wishing he could bury his head in the sand just to make it all _stop_ . He cursed the loss of his music player, gritting his teeth as he tried to find something, _anything_ to focus on and drown out all the godforsaken _noise._

"Is this normal after something like this..?" Quinn asked worriedly, her sweet overpowering perfume even stronger after being in the water. Taylor wrinkled his nose, unable to decide between keeping both ears covered or whether to try covering his nose.

"Naw, this ain't…" Jake said, pausing briefly to consider. "I seen, an' dealt out, a whole lotta CPR… but I ain't never seen nobody react like _this_ ," he concluded quietly. "Shorty, what's up with 'im?"

Diego's heart was the only one which seemed unable to regain a steady momentum, his fear for Taylor overwhelming him. "I-I don't…" he began to stammer, gasping as he tried to think. "Headaches! He used to get really bad headaches! Before he started using music players all the time!"

"Hmm…" Jake hummed thoughtfully. Taylor listened as he slowly approached over the sand, raising his palms in placation when he stepped into Taylor's line of sight and he flicked a dark scowl up at him. "'S alright… I ain't gonna touch ya," he promised, slowly kneeling down and reaching into an inside jacket pocket. He kept his eyes on Taylor, as he retrieved two small, squishy ear plugs and offered them to Taylor. "Ain't the same, I know… but try an' focus on jus' _one_ sound, 'kay?"

Taylor scowled at Jake distrustfully, shivering on the sand as his face grew warm and flustered, recalling the pilots lips against his own. _No!_ He thought urgently. _No, it wasn't..! It-it doesn't mean..!_ He shook his head and sat up in a rush, gasping as he snatched the soft ear plugs and quickly crammed them in his ears, closing his eyes as he dulled but did not quite erase the excessive assault of sound.

"Jus' focus…" Jake murmured quietly, low enough that Taylor knew it was for _his_ ears alone. "Pick jus' _one_ sound… an' concentrate on that, 'kay? Let it drow- uh… embrace it an' push everythin' else behind it, ya get me?"

Taylor's hands curled into claws over his ears, his brow furrowing as he tried to figure out _how_ to even pick one sound out of the cacophony around him. _How the hell do I choose? What can I-?_ He bit his lip, wincing at the faint trace of the pilot which lingered from Jake's mouth covering his own. _God… how the hell am I ever going to_ **_look_ ** _at him again without my heart going into overdrive?_ He wrinkled his nose, just beginning to shake his head again, when a steady, solid beat caught his attention.

He opened his eyes slowly, cocking his head and listening to the one, monotonous thud, lifting his head slowly and glancing sideways at Jake's chest. _His heart…_ he thought, blinking slowly as the steady beat eclipsed all the other clamouring noise, a soothing, consistent pulse. He lifted his eyes slowly, shyly meeting the pilots gaze as his face warmed, his stomach doing the strange, awful bubbling thing once again.

"All better?" Jake asked with a blinding smile, seeming to sense Taylor relaxing for himself, his eyes flicking over him quickly. "Ain't perfect, I know, an' ya'll have to concentrate a bit at first, but should get easier…" he said quietly, offering Taylor a lopsided smile.

Taylor stared a half second longer, before averting his eyes and rearranging his face into a scowl. "Incase you hadn't noticed, I'm not some damsel in distress who kisses the hero after he saves them," he muttered, his cheeks flushed with unfamiliar warmth.

Jake actually laughed, rocking back on his heels as he shook his head, his eyes lighting with amusement. "Trust me, Boy Scout," he chuckled, winking smugly. "If ya want me to kiss ya, an' if I _actually_ kiss ya, ya'll _know_ it." 

Taylor shifted his scowl to Jake, his heart fluttering weakly as his gut abruptly hollowed. "Trust _me,_ Top Gun," he said tersely, narrowing his eyes. "That will _never_ happen." He hissed scathingly.

Jake grinned, seeming to take Taylor's vicious assertion with a grain of salt as he shrugged. The pilot rose to his feet; and Taylor swiftly felt overwhelmed by a sense of unease. "Jake," he called, glancing up at him uncertainly, as the pilot looked down at him and raised a brow. "Thanks… for coming back for me." He said, with no uint of his usual hostility or sarcasm.

Jake took a moment to process the genuine gratitude, before nodding and grinning lopsidedly. "Weren't jus' me, ya know? But ya welcome…" he said, offering Taylor a hand and laughing when he wrinkled his nose and got to his feet himself. "Now, I ain't tryin' to tell ya how to live or nothin', but if I were _you_ , I'd brace myself…"

" _Brace_ myself?" Taylor repeated, frowning in confusion as he tried and failed to brush the sand from his arms. "For _what_ , exac- _oof!_ " He gasped as a hard body collided with his own, a shivering, snivelling, _wailing_ Diego crashing into him and knocking him back down to the sand.

"I am so, _so_ sorry!" Diego gasped between violent shudders and hiccups, his face stained with tears, which he pressed against Taylor's chest. "Taylor, I'm _so-_ "

"Diego, oh sweet jesus, _seriously_ ?" Taylor complained, sighing heavily as Jake just laughed and walked over to the others. "Diego, dude, I'm _fine_ ! Seriously, this is just... _unnecessary,_ Diego..!" He said, folding an arm around his friends back and gently toying with his hair, allowing them both a moment of comfort and reassurance despite his already being so overwhelmed.

"It's _not_ unnecessary, it's…" Diego paused, drawing back and frowning as he jabbed a hard lump at Taylor's hip. "Dude… what the _hell_ do you have in your pockets?" He demanded.

Taylor shrugged. "Gold." He replied simply. Diego stared at him for several seconds, before he broke down in a gush of semi-hysterical sobs and laughs, much to Taylor's utter dismay.

"Taylor, I, I came _straight_ back for you! The _second_ I came up, I realised you were gone and I came back, I _swear_ it!" He cried, sniffing quietly as he exhaled a deep breath and finally seemed to begin relaxing, having felt Taylor and confirmed for himself that his best friend, more like brother, was in fact; still alive.

"I knew you would," Taylor assured quietly, his lips hitching into a fond grin as his friend slowly calmed down. "I had to let go though, dude… the vines would have pulled you down too, otherwise." He said, as Diego abruptly lifted his head and stared at him in dismay.

"You _what_ ?!" He exclaimed in horror. "And _the what_ ?!" He added, shaking his head in disbelief. "Are you seriously telling me you _let go_ because some plants got stuck on you?" He demanded.

"They weren't just _plants_ , Diego." Taylor said, shaking his head and sitting up with a faint groan, concentrating hard on the steady beat of Jake's heart to drown out the other noise which clamoured to overwhelm him again. "It's hard to explain…" he hedged, averting his eyes. _Unless you want an in depth talk about just how many things are actually fucked up beyond belief on this island…_ he thought snidely.

"'S true," Jake said lightly, a dark frown on his face as he and the others joined them. "I saw it… these vines, they were like seaweed, all wrapped 'round his ankles." He said, shaking his head and casting a distrustful look out towards the water. "But… it 's like they were pullin' 'im down. Like, like they had a mind o' their own."

"That is… insanely creepy." Diego finally decided, grimacing as he sat back on his heels and looked at Taylor worriedly. "Are you okay?" He asked, before glancing up at the others with a small frown. "Should we let him rest a little-?" 

"Dude, I'm _fine_." Taylor sighed, rolling his eyes and pushing to his feet again. "We have to keep going if we want to get off this island. The others are meeting us at the airstrip, remember?" He said, turning away and making his way carefully up the beach. "We already took way longer than expected, we shouldn't leave them waiting around there. Not with King Kitty on the loose." He huffed, striding quickly to the edge of the rainforest, turning to raise a brow at the others. "So, are you guys coming, or..? The airstrip should be this way..."

Taylor led the group into the jungle, not bothering to wait for them to catch up, making their way slowly toward the airstrip. "Keep it down," Jake warned when he'd caught up to Taylor, his voice barely a murmur. "That sabertooth could be anywhere." 

Taylor frowned, recalling his strange dream, before quickly shaking his head. It wasn't quite the same, so it _couldn't_ have been prophetic. He was distracted from his internal musing when he pushed through a density of foliage; and saw the ferns stir. He didn't hesitate when a pair eyes suddenly appeared in from of him, acting on instinct and whipping his fist forward sharply; colliding hard with Craig's nose a second later.

" _Owww_!" Craig cried, one huge hand covering his nose as he stared at Taylor in wide eyed disbelief.

"Oops..." Taylor said flatly. "Sorry." He said in a tone which suggested otherwise. "Thought you were the sabertooth." He explained in a bored tone of voice, as the jock stumbled back in surprise. 

"So you _punched_ it?!" Diego demanded incredulously, all but hyperventilating as Taylor stuffed his hands in his pockets and shrugged indifferently. 

Craig straightened, wincing as he gently tapped his nose again, before grinning at Taylor widely, just as the rest of the group from the resort came up behind him. "That was _amazing_ !" Michelle cried, holding her sides as she laughed. "Again, _again_!" She chanted eagerly.

"Sorry, I don't do pay per view." Taylor replied glibly, frowning and raising a brow at Jake when he snorted with laughter, which the pilot quickly hid behind a gruff cough.

"Bro, what the _hell_ ? You just _punched_ me!" Craig said with a scowl, before his face melted into a thoughtful grin. "I mean, _damn_ , hell of a punch dude... Ow, but also _wow_ . Mad props, but also _mad_."

"Uh… thanks?" Taylor said, glancing at Diego uncertainly and scowling when his friend merely rolled his eyes and laughed at him in exasperation.

"At least you two didn't start screaming and attract every predator in the rainforest." Estela said blandly. Her eyes darted to Quinn, her fierce expression softening slightly. "Are you… okay?" She asked awkwardly.

"Oh…" Quinn blushed, biting her lip shyly as she glanced down at her feet and tucked her wet hair behind her ear. "Yes, I'm fine… Taylor's the one who almost-"

"Yo, dorks… airstrip's just up ahead." Zahra interrupted impatiently. "What are we all waiting here for? To become giant-cat food?"

The group began to amble along through the forest, clustering together in small bands of friends or hovering at the edge of them awkwardly. Taylor waited until everyone else had set off, trying hard to ignore all the added noise of so many more people, focusing intently on Jake's steady heartbeat. He glanced aside and almost recoiled, upon discovering himself next to Estela.

 _She knows about the Omega Specimen_ , he thought, narrowing his eyes and glancing around him, smiling slightly closer despite the discomfort it caused him, deciding it would be worth it if he could discover just _what_ she knew. "Ya know, when we spoke to Craig, I was under the impression that we wouldn't be able to convince everyone to leave the island-"

"I'm not leaving." Estela interrupted curtly, her eyes never leaving the path.

"Huh?" Taylor hummed thoughtfully, unsurprised by the confession. "Why?" He asked, raising a brow at her curiously.

The woman glanced at him, her eyes sharp and calculating as she examined him critically, her scar a striking testament which made Taylor believe his threat assessment of her may have been too lenient. "... unfinished business." She replied carefully.

Taylor watched her discreetly as they walked, thinking back to the way she had trashed the ballroom for her tiny slip of paper. He _needed_ to know who else had known about the Omega Specimen; and just how much they had told her in that damn note. "Listen, Estela, whatever you're doing here..." He said tightly, looking around the others quickly to make sure nobody was paying them any attention, before turning a hard scowl in her direction. "Whatever it is, I'm _going_ to find out." 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Estela demanded, her eyes narrowing threateningly.

"I know you're involved in all this, somehow." He admitted flippantly, his gut tightening nervously. "I've been slowly piecing everything together... and I'm gonna figure out _your_ role as well as whoever it was left you that note in the ballroom..." he said slowly, his expression carefully neutral as Estela whirled towards him with a surprised expression. "Of course, it would be a lot easier and save me a whole bunch of trouble, if you could just _tell_ me who told you about… _that_ ," he said pointedly, glancing toward the others the same as Estela. "As well as how the hell _they_ found out about it, too."

Estela stared at him for an extended pause, seeming to reevaluate whatever previous conclusion she had reached about him. "Trust me." She finally growled, scowling as she looked away from him at last. "You do _not_ wanna know."

Taylor continued to stare at her, the fierce woman all but smoldering with barely repressed fury. _She doesn't know_ **_what_ ** _the Omega Specimen actually_ **_is_ ** _._.. He thought, overwhelmed with relief at the realisation.

"Now keep your voice down," Estela scolded, unaware of Taylor's epiphany about her or her secret quest. "There's a sabertooth after us, remember?"

"You don't seem surprised at all about that..." Taylor said lightly, glancing around the jungle thoughtfully. Now he knew that Estela stil hadn't worked out what she was even looking _for_ , he felt remarkably good natured. Cheerful, even.

" _Nothing_ surprises me anymore." Estela muttered darkly.

"Not even _me_ ?" Taylor smirked, wiggling his eyebrows at her. Estela rolled her eyes, but Taylor was surprised to note that her lips had _almost_ twitched into a small smile. 

Ahead of them, Jake held aside a large fern for the group to pass through, leading them directly to the airstrip. "Looks like we made it safe an' sound," the pilot said, smiling radiantly as he looked at Taylor, who frowned at his stupidly giddy expression in return, before following him through the gap. "Now, let's get the _hell_ outta-" He fell silent for a second his expression falling as his eyes glazed with anguish. "Oh _no_..." He murmured, before sprinting across the airstrip as fast as he could.

At the far side, noxious black smoke billowed from the windows of the shuttered hangar. " _My plane!"_ Jake cried, his voice hoarse, thick with emotion.

"Come on," Taylor said in a rush, setting off after the pilot and quickly overtaking him. "We have to put that fire out!" He yelled urgently. He sprinted the length of the airstrip, reaching the hangar doors several seconds before Jake, despite the pilots headstart.

Taylor grabbed one of the closed hangar doors, growling in concentration as the hot metal singed his palms, the heat emanating from within them rolled over the group in heavy waves.

"Sean! Craig!" Jake cried as he reached the hangar himself, too upset to even use his usual nicknames for the pair. "Help us and grab the other door!" He ordered, as he grabbed hold of the same one as Taylor.

The four of them ignored the heat from the colossal metal doors, tugging at them determinedly. Taylor grit his teeth, narrowing his eyes as he growled quietly and gave a hefty yank, the door he and Jake were working on immediately wrenching open. Seam and Craig's door took a second longer, but as soon as they'd opened, thick black smoke had began to pour between the widened gap.

"Holy mother of-!" Raj yelped in shock and dismay, the rest of the group coughing heavily as a wall of acrid smoke the colour of death plumed through the doors, rising into the sky like a dark, ominous storm cloud as the group stepped back, hands and clothes held over their mouths even as their eyes watered.

Taylor glanced sideways at Jake, the pilot seemingly too stunned to move, staring in open agony into the hangar. He coughed, turning back to the sight himself, having to squint and wave smoke away from his face to see that the plane was now nothing but a writhing mass of flames.

"Jake..." He murmured sadly, his hand rising as if to pat Jake's shoulder, before he awkwardly dropped it to his side again. "Your plane, its..." He paused, cocking his head uncertainly and hovering near to the pilot, distinctly out of sorts as he tried to work out how to offer comfort.

"It's gone..." Jake whispered, his shoulders dropping as he beheld the burning corpse of his beloved plane… or, what remained of it. 

Taylor felt unusually bad for the pilot, sensing the plane meant more to him than he could have likely explained. Perhaps, similar to how Taylor mourned his lost music player, except, _perhaps_ on a slightly greater scale. He fidgeted awkwardly, not sure how to alleviate the mans pain, instead turning his eyes to where Jake's plane sat in the hangar, where he had left it, believing it to be safe; now engulfed in flames. The raging fire had consumed it, through and through.

"There goes our ride." Zahra said matter of factly, as they all stared blankly into the oppressive smoke.

A glitter of light caught Taylor's attention. He narrowed his eyes, looking closer to see a round piece of gleaming metal on the floor, just inside the hangar. "Hey, do you see that?" He muttered quietly to Jake. "What is it..?" He wondered, darting forward before anyone could stop him. 

_"Boy Scout_!"

" _Taylor_!"

" _Assbutt!_ "

He heard people calling him, but he wasn't about to stop, lest they try to catch hold of him and prevent him from his task. He raised his arms over his face as he approached the thick smoke.

"Taylor, be careful!" Sean called, sounding concerned but at least far enough away that he couldn't reach out and stop Taylor from progressing closer to the hangar. Taylor was pretty sure he would have detached the mans hand from his arm if he had. 

"You won't be able to breathe in there!" Sean tried again but Taylor rolled his eyes, clenching his jaw and pushing on determinedly. The thick smoke seemed to part around him; and he quickly advanced on the burning plane.

"I can reach it!" He yelled back stubbornly, venturing deeper into the smoke as he shielded his eyes against the thick smoke as best he could. He fought his way forward and crouched when he managed to reach the small, gleaming object which he'd spotted. Picking it up, his heart froze mid-beat, as he instantly recognised it.

The world around him seemed to slow, growing bright even through the dense smoke. He turned slowly, to see a trail of flame racing toward the plane, as the gasoline line caught fire. Taylor glanced around urgently, coughing as he searched for a way out of the smoke, as the flames rapidly approached the plane. He clutched the object in his hand tighter; the flames almost climbing into the gas tank on the plane.

" _Taylor_!" Suddenly Jake appeared from amid the billowing smoke, diving towards him and tackling him out of the way, just as the flames reached into the gas tank, and the plane exploded; detonating in a hail of steel and flame.

He just caught sight of the others, blown back onto the dirt, before Taylor hit his head on the hard ground. " _Oof_!" He grunted, as he and the pilot rolled away from the blast, quickly tugging Jake over so he laid over him, covering the pilot with his body and protecting him as best he could from the falling debris. 

Taylor shielded him with his body until it was finally over, and Jake kept his arms wrapped tightly around Taylor's head the entire time, his arms protecting him from any debris in return. When it was finally over, the Taylor tilted his head up, and his eyes locked with Jake's.

"Ya still with me, Boy Scout..?" He asked, concern in his voice as Taylor quickly climbed off of him, pausing a moment, before offering him a hand to help him up.

"I'm fine." He said blankly, as Jake laughed and propped himself on his elbows, grinning up at him and shaking his head almost fondly. "What?" He asked, frowning as his face warmed and his stomach did the _stupid_ bubbling thing again.

"Taylor!" Diego gasped, his eyes wide and accusing as he raced over and stared at Taylor in disbelief. "You could've gotten yourself killed, you stupid _dumbass_!" He scolded, scowling as he flicked an assessing look over his friend, double checking he wasn't injured. 

"Diego, I'm fine." Taylor insisted, tipping his chin to the others as they struggled to get to their feet. "Go and help the others, okay..? We'll talk on the way back to the hotel."

"The hotel?" Diego frowned, his brows rising in surprise. "We're going back to the hotel?"

"Do you know anywhere _else_ on this stupid rock that has defenses and places for us to rest, while locking out the huge sabertooth tiger after us?" Taylor snarked, before heaving a weary sigh and smiling guiltily at his brother. "Sorry… I'm a little tired. My music is at the hotel, so if nothing else; I'm going back to get it, but I think it would be a useful base of operations." He said, patting Diego on the shoulder gently with the hand he'd previously extended to Jake.

Diego eyed him dubiously for a moment. "Okay." He said in a small voice, hesitating a moment longer, before shuffling back over to the others.

Taylor ran a hand through his hair tiredly, exhaling a deep breath as he looked back down at Jake, who was watching him from the ground quite contently. "Why'd you try to save me..?" He asked quietly, frowning in confusion as his eyes stung form the lingering effects of the smoke.

"Think ya can leave me 'lone with _this_ crowd?" Jake replied playfully, nodding his head to where the others were slowly getting to their feet with Diego's help. "Guess 'gain, Boy Scout." He added with an exaggerated wink.

Taylor snorted, rolling his eyes and shaking his head as his lips twitched into a reluctant grin. He hesitated, before offering his hand to Jake again. This time, the pilot accepted, clapping his hand into Taylor's allowing him to help him to his feet. 

Once upright, Jake paused, his eyes meeting Taylor's intently. "I ain't leavin' this goddamn island without ya, understand?" Jake said quietly, raising a brow as Taylor felt his face warm again, his eyes quickly averting anywhere that wasn't the pilots soft, clear eyes.

This was all _far_ too friendly and… _intimate_ , for his liking, yet he couldn't _quite_ bring himself to firmly put the pilot off again. He told himself he was only letting it slide, because of the numerous times the pilot had saved his life that day.

Jake sighed and released Taylor's hand, his face falling as he turned, looking wistfully at the smoldering remains of his plane. He gave a long whistle of resignation and Taylor cleared his throat uncomfortably, feeling awkward and… _sympathetic_ for the pilot, as heartbreak and pain blazed in his blue eyes. " _How_ could this o' happened..?" Jake muttered, kicking the dirt with a scowl. "I don't understand..." He all but whimpered.

"Jake..." Taylor said hesitantly, uncertain whether it was the right time to land the pilot with information that he knew would ultimately cause him more pain. "I..." Jake turned to look at him, his expression sad and lost, but focused entirely upon Taylor. He took a slow breath and reluctantly held out hand toward the pilot. "I found _this_." He said at last, opening his palm to reveal the small metal device he had salvaged before the explosion.

"The padlock to the hangar doors?!" Jake exclaimed, his brows rising in surprise as he tentatively picked up the padlock and turned it over in his hand slowly.

"Yes." Taylor replied with a slow nod. "You locked up before you left for the control tower, remember? And this padlock..." He hesitated, looking up to meet the pilot's conflicted gaze. "This padlock is _unbroken_ ." He said quietly, feeling uncomfortable at the shock and hurt that flashed on the pilots eyes. "Jake... someone _unlocked_ the hangar."

"But _who_ ?" Jake said, disbelief apparent as he gently wiped at the tarnished metal in his hand. "There ain't no one here 'cept..." He broke off, his eyes rising to the approaching group. His jaw clenched, his eyes filling with pain and rage. "'Cept _us_." He spat.

The group all shifted uneasily, suddenly suspicious as they eyed each other warily. "Well, don't look at _me_ !" Michelle fumed, glaring around the group and tossing her hair over her shoulder haughtily. " _I_ didn't do anything! It was probably Aleister! He looks creepy!"

"Back off, Michelle!" Grace growled back. "He didn't do this!" She insisted with a scowl. Taylor raised a brow at the dark toned woman curiously, having not expected such a hot temper from her. He narrowed his eyes and made a point to begin new threat assessments for the whole group, seeing as he had apparently misjudged _everyone_. 

"Whoa, _guys_ ! We are _not_ doing this just now!" Sean said, raising his hands in placation and trying to calm the group. "We can handle this back at the resort!" He looked around them all pleadingly, as Taylor rolled his eyes. What was it with football players wanting to be hero's all the time? "All that matters now, is that everyone is in one piece."

"Yeah and, uh..." Diego said, a nervous chuckle escaping him as he backed away from the rainforest. "That... might not the case be for much longer."

"What are you-?" Taylor turned to his friend with a frown of confusion, his face draining of blood when he caught sight of just what had caused such a strange response from brother. He whipped around to face the edge of the rainforest, as the ferns parted and a powerful, lithe creature built of muscle and sinew slunk out slowly. Its fangs glinted menacingly in the sun, a quiet, chuff-like purr rumbling from its chest as it slowly stalked closer.

"Aw, you've gotta be kidding me!" Craig cried, backing away from the huge beast.

Taylor didn't care that it was childish, enjoying a moment of vindication as he sneered over at the jock. "I told you so," he scoffed.

The sabertooth prowled closer; and Taylor realised too late that they had been cornered against the blazing furnace of the hangar. He felt his heart begin to race, fear and adrenaline combining into a powerful cocktail of emotions which essentially pinned him to the spot. _The sea…_ he thought distantly, his eyes wide as his breath quickened, noise exploding all around him as he lost all form of concentration. _It washed everything off… the fire extinguisher, the body spray!_ He thought, panic causing his heart to hammer all the faster in his chest. _There's nothing left! It's going to-!_

He felt fingers lace softly between his own, his head snapping to the side so fast, he thought he might have inadvertently given himself whiplash. Jake's clear eyes met his own, concern and something _else_ in them which made the strange bubbling in the pit of his stomach even worse. "Taylor, I-" he began, wincing and trailing off when the sabertooth roared loudly.

Taylor reluctantly looked back at the beast, as the sabertooth sniffed the air, narrowing its eyes and hissing as it picked up the scent which Taylor knew it had been hunting for, for a _very_ long time. The beast coiled, preparing to strike, when something small and blue darted out in front of it.

" _Mmrrawr_!" The little fox growled ferociously. Taylor blinked in surprise. He'd been under the impression the fox didn't like him much, though, he hardly blamed it.

Jake tried to nudge the little fox out of the sabertooth's path with his foot, but the fox continually dodged his attempts to move him. "Run, little guy!" The pilot warned, his eyes wide as he stared at the strange, blue creature, which was tiny in comparison to the hulking sabertooth. "This is more'n a 'lil mismatched!"

The fox ignored him, refusing to back down as it yapped angrily at the tiger. The sabertooth drew itself to its dull height, dwarfing the fox and even seeming to laugh as it chuffed quietly at the little blue furball. It raised one massive paw to slash at the fox, when the fox took a deep breath and blew at it.

"No!" Diego cried, lurching forward as if to help, only for Taylor to _firmly_ shove him back against the hangar door, despite also having expected the fox to be crushed. "Taylor! Wha-?" Diego began to argue, only to pause, his jaw dropping when snow crystals materialized and flitted through the air at the tiger, instantly freezing its paw in ice.

" **_Rrrrrk_ **!" The tiger growled, its ears a abruptly flattening against its skull in shock.

"No... _way_ ..." Diego breathed, as they all watched in disbelief and awe, when the sabertooth yelped and twisted in surprise, trying to free its paw. It leapt backwards, but another breath from the fox froze it's back foot to the ground. The tiger panicked, thrashing itself wildly until it broke free of the ice; and finally galloped away into the rainforest. The little fox snorted after the retreating sabertooth and then turned to look at Taylor, its tail erect as it seemed to grin at him, clearly proud of itself. " _Mrrrmrm_!" It purred smugly. 

Taylor laughed, releasing his hold on Diego as he crouched slowly before the little fox. _The Mountain Guardian, or perhaps the apprentice, I should think…_ he mused, shaking his head in wonder as he hesitantly reached out his hand to the fox.

The fox watched him curiously, its head cocked and its tail flicking in thoughtful amusement. Finally the small creature nudged its head to his hand gently.

"Thanks for the help." Taylor huffed with a lopsided grin, as the small animal yipped and ran in a circle around him, before scurrying up his arm to curl contently around his neck.

"Hey, how come the fox don't get no evil glare an' threats?" Jake scoffed, raising a brow at Taylor as he snorted and moved to stuff his hands into his pockets, only to remember they were bulging with gold.

"He's cute and fluffy," Taylor replied with a smirk, running his eyes over Jake quickly. "What's _your_ excuse?"

Jake laughed, shaking his head as Diego hurried over, his eyes wide with fear and excitement both. "Guys!" He gasped, glancing between Jake and Taylor in disbelief. "Where the _hell_ are we?!" He demanded, as Michelle fainted, falling into Sean's reluctant arms.

Taylor snorted, rolling his eyes and spreading his arms wide, sneering sarcastically as he feigned a dignified bow. "Welcome to La Huerta."


	8. Chandelier

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry - this should have been ready last night but I was mega depressed so I cried and slept instead...
> 
> Sorry, probably oversharing
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy this  
> Sorry if updates are a bit slower, fighting off a lot of uh, bad thoughts, just now
> 
> x My love to you all x

**Primal**

Taylor's lungs felt like they were on fire, as he raced through along the path from the seaside airstrip to the Celestial hotel. He suspected it was more to do with the excessive water which had settled in there during his near drowning experience, as opposed to actual exertion, knowing his stamina would hold well enough for him to sprint twice the distance without breaking a sweat on a normal day.

But what  _ was _ a normal day, when on La Huerta?

He noticed only two others had kept up with him, or, almost. Jake and Estela hung a few paces back from him, whole the rest of the group panted heavily and hurried to try and catch up to them.

Taylor sped past the gate, wheeling around on his heel and leaning against the gate, panting quietly as he waited to slam it closed. 

"Come on,  _ come on _ !" Estela snarled at the others, standing tense and alert on the other side of the gated fence, her hand extended as if to hurry the rest of the group through to the resort entrance.

As soon as the last person, which happened to be Sean, had crossed the gateway, Taylor began to heave. " _ Rrraauughh! _ " He hissed, shunting the heavy gate into place as it creaked in protest, before quickly backing away; scowling into the rainforest.

He noticed several heads turned towards him, ans glanced to either side, his face warming under the scrutiny of so many. " _ What _ ?!" He demanded in a vicious hiss, flowering at anyone he felt stood too close to him.

"Dude," Diego blinked, tearing his eyes from the massive gate and looking over at Taylor in awe. "Are you Spiderman?!" He gushed, as Taylor scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Shut up, doofus," he muttered, still glancing around the others distrustfully. "Was just uh, left over adrenaline." He coughed awkwardly, clearing his throat and looking out at the rainforest again pointedly.

"Funny," Jake murmured quietly from beside him, his voice low enough for just the two of them to make out. "Ya sure seem to get a  _ lotta _ adrenaline rushes…" he said innocently.

Taylor scowled at him. "I feel another one coming, any second." He said waspishly, narrowing his eyes when Jake's lips twitched with the threat of a laugh, before he quickly regained control of himself.

Taylor glanced around, relaxing slightly as he noted nobody was paying him any mind any longer. He looked out at the rainforest, one of thirteen pairs of eyes, staring out in a tense, silent hope that the sabertooth hadn't followed them.

_ Will he even come this far out? _ He wondered, before snorting under his breath.  _ Of course… he goes wherever he wants. I suppose the real question; is will he bother, now he knows-? _ He tensed, biting his tongue to keep from screaming in frustration.  _ He might  _ **_not_ ** _ know… not for sure! I could still have a little time… _ he thought, though, he had little faith in the limited hope, consider the extent to which the island appeared to hate him.

"... I think we're in the clear." Estela said tightly, narrowing her eyes at the rainforest as everyone else breathed a deep, exhausted sigh of relief.

" _ Hff… hff _ …" Raj wheezed, wincing and gripping his side. " _ Whew _ , that's enough exercise…" he panted dramatically, his large belly quivering from the exertion. "For the rest of my  _ life _ !" 

Taylor was actually rather impressed with the large man, his speed and stamina would be greatly underestimated by any for due to his size. He cast him an approving look, before he was distracted by Quinn's loud outburst.

"Estela!" She cried, rushing to the gate and weaving her fingers through the links as Estela slipped her small frame through the fence bars, glancing back at Quinn with a small look of regret. "Where are you going?" Quinn whispered, her eyes big and afraid as she bit her lip.

Estela hesitated, whatever acerbic retort she'd had planned apparently softening somewhat for Quinn. "I got you back to the resort alive." She said in an awkward, gentle tone. "You're welcome." She added, her face twisting with indecision. "But now, I've got things to do."

Taylor could see there was no point trying to stop the woman. He also knew she was eager to be off elsewhere, to begin looking for the Omega Specimen, so he knew she was going to be disappointed. "Welp, see ya then, Estela." He said blankly. "Be careful." He added, though he doubted there was much on the island that she wouldn't be able to handle.

Estela glanced over at him, seeming surprised by the reaction. She met his eyed, narrowing her own slightly at whatever she saw in them, before giving him a tight, respectful nod. "I will, Taylor." She said slowly. She looked back at Quinn, her expression softening again. "Stay here." She whispered, her hand half extending towards Quinn's curled fingers. "It's safe at the resort."

Taylor snorted.  _ Nowhere _ was safe on  _ this _ island.

"Then… you should stay here too!" Quinn protested weakly, seeming to have come to the same conclusion as Taylor, that Estela would listen to no pleas.

Estela shook her head. "I have things to do." She repeated, glancing back at Taylor and frowning at him briefly, before she turned and vanished into the rainforest.

"Estela!" Quinn called after her, standing on her tiptoes and gazing after the brunette longingly, before sighing and reluctantly stepping back from the fence. She smiled at Doego weakly when he curled his arm around her shoulder in a gesture of comfort and support.

"That girl gives me the creeps…" Raj shuddered, staring after Estela with a confused expression. "But at the same time, I really,  _ really  _ wanna be her friend." He said, glancing around the others with a frown. "Is that weird?" 

Craig shrugged. "A little."

Taylor unexpectedly found himself overwhelmed by a great wave of exhaustion and emotion, crashing through him. He quickly turned his back on the group, doubling over and bracing his hands on his knees as he squeezed his eyes shut tight and tried to catch his breath.

"Taylor…" Sean called, his voice filled with concern as he stepped closer. "You alright?"

"I'm gonna give ya some advice, Cap, but I wouldn't touch 'im right now, if  _ I  _ were  _ you _ ." Jake drawled, stepping between Taylor and the approaching Sean, much to Taylor's relief.

"But you're  _ not _ me," Sean said tightly. "And I'd like to actually see for  _ myself, _ if my  _ friend _ is alright." He said in clipped tones.

"Hey, I was jus' thinkin' o' that shiny future ya hopin' for, ya know… the fame, the dames an' all that fortune," Jake said with exaggerated friendliness. "But if ya really ain't into it no more then, by all means. I jus' hope there's someone here to sew ya hand back on. Hate to have to start callin'ya  _ Stumpy _ ."

Taylor snorted with breathless laughter, amused and distracted by the pilots banter. "Hey, Boy Scout…" Jake chuckled smugly. "Ya doin' alright, there?" He asked, his footsteps rounding Taylor widely, before a soft clink told him that the pilot had leaned against the fence, likely looking down at him.

"I'm fine." Taylor said tightly, inhaling a deep breath as he slowly straightened, his eyes still closed even as he tipped his head back and exhaled up toward the sky. "I just need to  _ focus _ a little…" he said pointedly, knowing the pilot would understand his meaning. "And forget all of  _ this _ shit."

"Forget?" Sean's surprised reply came from behind him, sounding unreasonably butthurt, in Taylor's personal opinion. The man had seen him a half dozen times and considered him a friend? Taylor had known Diego a  _ year _ before be actually let him call him his friend without biting his head off about it.

"Yep," Taylor replied smoothly, taking another deep breath as he focused on Jake's steady, monotonous heartbeat. "Just gonna push it  _ all  _ out of my head, for now." He said brightly.

"Ya got that right, Boy Scout." Jake snorted from beside him. "Take it from me, huh?" He said, his voice dropping in something similar to sadness. "When ya spend ya whole life, seein' crazy shit… ya learn to jus' keep it  _ all _ out."

Taylor frowned, trying to ignore the sense of camaraderie which had begun to form at the pilots unwitting confession.  _ He knows first hand… he might not have quite the handle  _ **_I_ ** _ do on all this, but he understands. _ He thought, grimacing as he sighed and pushed all the awful events of the day away, as if he were exhaling them with his breath.

"Okay," he said, slowly peeling his eyes open and gazing up at the cheerful blue sky for a long pause, before turning to face the hotel. "That is already so much better… and  _ now _ , it's time to make it all  _ even better. _ " He said brightly.

Jake raised a brow, a slow smile spreading across his face as a gleam of  _ knowing _ flickerd in his clear eyes. "Do I wanna know?"

Taylor snorted, flicking his eyes over the man playfully. "Don't be perverted, this is  _ my _ party." He said, winking as he moved away toward the hotel. "And you are  _ not _ invited." He added with a smirk.

"Oh, no…" Diego groaned, his face falling in realisation. He trotted after his friend, the rest of the group following curiously behind him, as Taylor strolled confidently through the automatic lobby doors, making his way towards to the small lobby bar and reaching over the counter. 

"Hmm…" he mused, perusing the bottles quickly. "A- _ ha _ !" He cheered, surfacing with a smug grin and flourishing a bottle of Disarono which he'd snatched up. He spun the lid quickly, grinning when it twirled itself upward and then toppled to the side. "Cheers!" He said, winking at Diego as he sighed in resignation, watching as Taylor tipped the bottle to his lips and took a  _ long _ drink.

"Heh, looks like Boy Scout's speakin' my language," Jake huffed with obvious approval and no small amount of amusement, reaching over the bar himself and snatching his own bottle of spiced rum. "Who else could use a drink?" He asked, turning and raising the bottle, as he grabbed some glasses.

Taylor snorted, rolling his eyes as he stepped away from the group and took another drink directly from his bottle.

"I could definitely use one," Diego admitted with a small frown. "But I'd better not… I'm gonna need a clear head to deal with _ him _ when he's finished." He sighed.

"Ah, live a 'lil, Shorty." Jake snorted, pouring two fingers of rum into a glass and pushing it into Diego's hands. "Ya can manage  _ one _ , even on babysittin' duty, though, Boy Scout's a big boy an' all… I'm sure he can handle himself." He said, his lips quirking slightly as he cast an unsubtle look towards Taylor.

Diego glanced at Jake. "It depends when he stops." He said quietly, a private comment between the two of them as he gave the pilot a pointed look. "Or  _ if _ , I should say."

Jake frowned. "He that bad?" He asked in a matching, quiet tone. He glanced at Taylor with a raised brow, thought Taylor studiously ignored them both in favour of drinking more.

Diego snorted and sipped his drink cautiously, glaring at his friend over the rim as Taylor feigned ignorance of his dark look. "Taylor _invented_ **_that bad_** **…** and then he made it _worse_." He muttered.

"Whatever, losers, stop yappin' and start pourin'," Zahra demanded with a pointed glare at the other glasses, one of which she had already emptied. "The motion to drink has been seconded, now  _ pour _ , asshole."

"Jake, Taylor, please…" Grace protested, as a small crowd formed around them, deeming the pair as the prime inspiration for the sudden rash of imminent drinkers.

"This isn't the time for that!" Sean protested, his eyes widening in disbelief as he stepped back from them.

Taylor raised a brow and smirked, deliberately raising his bottle and taking another long drink.

"Pretty sure alcohol was  _ invented _ for times like this," Jake chuckled quietly, flashing Sean a bright grin and winking at him smugly.

Raj shifted uncomfortably. "Sooooo…" he said hesitantly. "Are we gonna talk about what just happened?" He asked, looking around the group unhappily.

" _Aahhh_..!" Taylor gasped, smacking his lips together and licking them slowly as he looked at the half empty bottle in his hand. "Hmm, you guys can do what you like… imm gonna go shower, pick some music and then find whichever bar is nearest my room." He said, looking around the group with an exaggerated, friendly smile. "Do me a favour and choose _any other_ _bar_ to drink in yourselves, 'kay? Toodle pip, cheerio and… all that bullshit!" He said cheerfully.

"Taylor-" Diego sighed, as Taylor turned and stalked away, leaving the flabbergasted group behind him.

"I got a idea, ya'll." Jake drawled from behind him. "How 'bout we all take a league outta Boy Scout's book, an' jus' take a day, yeah?  _ Some _ o' us have had a real fuckin'  _ day _ , ya know?" He huffed, his boots clicking on the floor as Taylor smirked and shook his head, heading for the stairs. "See ya'll in the mornin', folks."

Taylor hears Sean sigh, seeming to realise that the group was already dispersing around him. He shrugged.  _ Not my problem _ . He thought lightly, leaping up the stairs three at a time.  _ Hmm… only problem is, I didn't bring any other clothes. _ He mused, frowning as he took a small drink and then continued up the next flight of stairs.

He sighed, grimacing at the thought of having to put wet, torn clothes back on after showering all traces of his time underwater from him. If he had to walk around stinking of the ocean much longer, it was  _ going _ to drive him nuts.

With a final energetic bounce, Taylor stepped onto the penthouse floor and immediately headed for his room, taking another languid sip of his appropriated alcohol as he went. He opened his door and closed it behind him with a bump of his hip, walking across his room and gazing vacantly at the chest of drawers.  _ I wonder… _ he thought, narrowing his eyes.  _ The hotel was abandoned, right? So, perhaps… _ he walked over to the drawers, hesitating for a brief pause, before pulling the top drawer open and peeking inside. 

"Urgh," he huffed sulkily, slamming the drawer shut again. "Useless." He muttered, sniffing st the drawer in irritation and making his way into the en suite bathroom.

_ Maybe this room wasn't being used… the penthouse keys were all on hooks, maybe they hadn't been booked out? _ He thought, frowning as he set his bottle down on the side and stripped out of his wet clothes; piling his stolen gold in the cupboard under the sink and making a mental note to put it in his suitcase later on.

He chanced a brief glance at his wounded side, wrinkling his nose and quickly looked away again, avoiding the large smash in his mirror from the previous evening.  _ That's going to sting like a bitch… _ he thought sourly, stepping into the shower and reluctantly turning on the water, tensing in anticipation, before being pleasantly surprised by the soft spatter of perfectly warmed water.

Taylor scowled.  _ Even the Hydra's stupid  _ **_showers_ ** _ are seemingly perfect. _ He thought sourly, though he had to concede that it was nice not to have the same sting from his wounded side as when they'd swum out of the cave; which, had indeed, stung like a bitch.

He sighed, tilting his head back and peering at the ceiling, staring vacantly as the water trickled peacefully over his slowly relaxing muscles.  _ This was only  _ **_one_ ** _ day _ . He thought distantly, blinking slowly and leaning back to rinse the salt water from his hair.  _ Of we don't get out of here soon… _ he shivered despite the steaming water which bounced off his skin.

It didn't exactly bode well that almost  _ all _ of his worst nightmares had come true in the span of twenty four hours, give or take a few minutes. A soft groan left his throat as he imagined a multitude of things which could; and worse, probably  _ would _ go wrong next.

With an annoyed grunt, Taylor shut off the water and shook himself off, scowling as he stepped out of the showr and grabbed a towel from the rail, quickly rubbing the rest of him dry; while dabbing his wounded side especially gently. When he was done, he wrapped the towel around his waist, snatched his bottle from the side and made his way back into his bedroom while taking a small drink, pausing and blinking at the person sat on his bed blankly.

"I know you didn't bring anything else to wear," Diego said quietly, eyeing him warily. "I found them in a gift shop, down by the lobby… I think they're your size." He explained, gesturing to a small pile of clothes, folded neatly beside him.

"Huh, thanks." Taylor replied, swigging another gulp from his bottle. "I was gonna raid some of the suitcases in the lobby," he admitted flippantly, walking over and setting the bottle on the bedside table. "Wow… soft." He mused, picking up a blue flannel shirt from the top of the pile and nodding at it thoughtfully.

Diego sighed, glancing away from Taylor as he continued to browse the clothes on the bed. "You're really going to do this?  _ Now _ ?" He asked quietly, as Taylor hummed and ignored him. "Taylor, usually you only drink in our room; and only if I lock the door… you're really happy to go out and drink with everyone?" He asked with a confused frown.

" _ Pfft _ , no," Taylor scoffed, finally responding despite not wanting to. "That's why I told them to go  _ anywhere else _ . I mean, this place is  _ full  _ of pretentious crap; there's probably a dozen bars in this place…" he said, shrugging his shoulder dismissively. "If they're in  _ one _ , I'll head to a  _ different _ one."

"Taylor, c'mon, do you  _ really _ think this is a good idea?" Diego said, worrying his lip and flicking his eyes to the angry looking wound on Taylor's side. 

"No, Diego…" Taylor sighed, shaking his head slowly, before snatching up his bottle from the bedside table and smirking as he tipped it toward his friend with a playful wink. "I think it's a  _ great _ idea!" He said blissfully, taking a long drink and bending himself backwards as he gulped and finished off the bottle with an enormous, satisfied hiss.

Diego rolled his eyes, muttering something which sounded suspiciously like 'show off' to Taylor, though he let it slide. "So, are you planning to watch me change?" Taylor asked, raising a brow casting a pointed look at Diego as he passed him to grab his body spray from his suitcase. "Or are you, I don't know, going to  _ move _ ?" He asked, narrowing his eyes as Diego laughed quietly and finally shuffled away from the bed, sprawling himself on the couch as Taylor eyed him distrustfully and sprayed himself liberally with deodorant.

"Dude, I have known you literally my whole life. You've seen me change, you've  _ helped _ me change, when I've been too drunk… and yet you don't trust me not to  _ ogle _ you." He said, sighing wearily as Taylor mostly ignored him, tossing his now empty can of body spray on the mattress. "I am wounded, assbutt… so wounded." He said, though his teasing tone didn't  _ quite _ ring true.

"It's not that." Taylor said dismissively, casting a last, dubious look over his friend before grabbing some boxers from the pile of clothes and quickly pulling them on. "And you know it's not that I don't trust you or you wouldn't even be in the room right now." He said, letting the towel fall away as he pulled the underwear up his thighs and over his ass. He grabbed the khaki jeans and had stepped into them within seconds, pulling them up and finally relaxing slightly as he did them up.

"What are you so bent out of shape about exactly?" Taylor finally asked, picking up the flannel shirt and sliding his arms into it as he turned around and raised a brow at Diego, who couldn't see the expression due to the fact he was staring out the window. "Why do you suddenly care, if I drink, or if I go… party with the crowd or, whatever?"

Diego didn't answer immediately, leaving Taylor to roll his eyes as he buttoned his new shirt and make his way over to the small stack of music players he'd left on the side. By the time he'd rifled through and selected one in glittering white, Diego still hadn't answered. Taylor sighed in frustration as he turned it on and slid it down the front of his shirt, before tucking it into his pocket.

"Fine, whatever." He huffed, pulling out the ear plugs Jake had given him and looking at them for a moment, before tossing them on the side. He lifted his headphones to his ears, sighing in contentment as he hit play and immediately swamped himself in a swift, catchy beat. "Well, I guess I'll see you la-"

"Taylor… you almost died today." Diego said quietly, his trembling voice catching Taylor by surprise. He turned, blinking slowly as Diego hunched forward, his head in his hands as he shook gently. "You… you're all I have; and I… I almost lost you.  _ More than once. _ " He said in a tortured whisper, as Taylor hesitantly approached the couch he was sat on.

Diego looked up as Taylor reached the edge of his seat, his eyes rimmed with red and glimmering with tears which were just beginning to overflow and roll down his cheeks. "Taylor, I don't know what I'd do without you." He said softly.

If it were anyone else, Taylor would have already fled at such a heartfelt confession. He dithered awkwardly for a moment, before sighing and reluctantly sliding into the tiny gap between Diego and the arm of the chair. "... probably eat  _ way _ too much cheese while binge watching those god awful rom-coms in the middle of the night." He huffed, tentatively curling his arm around Diego's back and pulling him into his side.

Diego snorted a small, startled laugh, shoving Taylor's shoulder playfully as he smirked, before leaning into Taylor's rare embrace and snuggling himself tightly under his chin. "You're _such_ an asshole, sometimes…" he grumbled, as Taylor snorted and smirked over his head, rubbing his friends arm reassuringly as he held him close.

They say quietly for several long minutes, until Taylor finally began to fidget. "Sorry… did I use up all your physical contact time for this month?" Diego sniffled, sitting up and casting a small smile at Taylor as he wiped beneath his eyes.

"No, well, maybe…" Taylor said, wincing and stretching as he slid out of his seat and pressed a hand to his side. "You were just getting kind of heavy on this stupid scratch." He said, shrugging in a semi-apologetic manner.

"Oh my god!" Diego gushed, shooting to his feet like a Jack in the box. He hurried over, his hand hovering in front of Taylor's wounded side as he bit his lip worriedly. "Why didn't you  _ say _ something?! Why did you even let me-?" 

"Because," Taylor said, taking Diego's hovering hand in his and squeezing it gently. "You're my brother… and you needed me." He said simply, grinning at Diego lopsidedly and releasing his hand to ruffle his hair fondly.

"Urgh, I hate it when you do that…" Diego groaned, pouting and immediately beginning to fuss with his hair.

Taylor watched him a moment, before nudging him gently. "You know… this fight with your parents won't last forever." He said quietly, watching Diego's fingers pause briefly, before quickly continuing their hair adjustments again. "They don't hate you, Diego. They just… didn't know any better then. They'll come around." He promised.

Diego scoffed. "You heard what they said." He said quietly, his voice full of pain and rejection. "They won't change." He sighed.

"They will." Taylor insisted stubbornly.

"What, are you clairvoyant now?" Diego snorted, finally finished fussing with his hair and scowling up at Taylor reproachfully. "What on  _ earth  _ makes you think they're  _ ever  _ going to 'come around', as you put it?"

Taylor grinned. "Because if they don't do it themselves, I'll go over and  _ make  _ them." He said brightly, smiling as Diego finally laughed and shook his head. "I mean it, Diego. Shock, and a lifetime of seeing things only in black and white? It makes it hard to accept when some, amazingly bright rainbow comes along and brightens up your world. They will remember they love you… and they'll be  _ so _ proud of the man you've become, all on your own" He said, as Diego rolled his eyes.

"You couldn't just say  _ son _ ?" He scoffed.

Taylor grinned, rifling Diego's hair again and laughing when he wailed in protest. " _ Taylooooor!" _

_ "Diegooooo _ !" He laughed, skipping back to the doorway with a grin as Diego scowled and began resetting his hair  _ again. _ "Don't wait up, assbutt!" He said, winking as he bumped his fist against the doorway quickly.

Taylor ducked into the hall before Diego could stop him again, trotting down the hall at a brisk pace as he hummed along to his music and shook off the lingering prickle of his skin. He paused at the staircase, reading down the list of directions until he found his destination; a bar on the fifteenth floor which sounded far too fancy for anyone else to go and hang out in. Taylor could barely even  _ think _ the name, let alone have any chance of pronouncing it.

He set off down the stairs, frowning as the sleeves of his shirt flapped around his arms irritatingly. He narrowed his eyes, slowing his pace slightly as he rolled them up past his elbow. Satisfied his shirt would now behave and not annoy him, he stuffed his hands into his pockets and strolled onto the fifteenth floor with a bounce in his step, coming to a halt outside a fancy door, scrawled with the same ridiculous name as he'd seen on the sign.

"You have  _ got _ to be kidding me…" he sighed, debating briefly, before kicking open the door with a scowl and glaring at the bar expectantly.

"Hey, Boy Scout!" Jake grinned over at him from behind the bar, seeming utterly unfazed by his violent arrival. "Glad ya could make it… I was beginnin' to think ya changed ya mind!" He chuckled, tipping a glass toward him and smirking smugly at him over the rim when he took a sip.

"What part of  _ any other bar _ was too difficult for you, exactly?" He sighed, glancing at Craig and Zahra as they sniggered at the far end of the bar. "Seriously? You must  _ hate _ this place!" He protested sulkily.

"Eh, booze is booze," Zahra drawled, working her way through a line of different coloured shots. "Location is inconsequential."

"Yo, you sound like the Dork Patrol," Craig snickered, drinking from what looked like an enormous,  _ ornamental _ , stein.

"You wanna drink that, Craig, or do you want me to ram it up your-?"

Taylor sighed as the pair began to bicker, eyeing them dubiously before flicking an irritated look at the grinning pilot. "How the hell did you know what bar I would pick?" He demanded with a pout, though he refused to acknowledge it.

Jake winked. "Weren't exactly brain surgery, ya know?" He chuckled. "Figured ya'd pick the place what sounded most borin' an' unappealin' to us," he said, shrugging a shoulder and taking another drink as he flicked his eyes over Taylor quickly and seemed to suddenly notice his new clothes.

"Well, lookie here!" He drawled, lowering his glass and taking a second, slower look, as Taylor looked away, very aware of the bubbling sensation returning to his stomach and the warmth which rushed to his cheeks. "Didn't realise I was in the middle o' a supermodels photoshoot…" he said, smirking as Taylor rolled his eyes. "Should I get outta the way?" He asked innocently.

"Oh, shut  _ up _ ." Taylor scoffed, wrinkling his nose and fighting the urge to smirk as he shuffled closer to the bar. "But you can get outta here, by all means." He added, a lopsided grin finally hitching his lip upward.

"Fair warnin', Boy Scout, don't think ya'll be able to post to ya Pictagram." Jake chuckled, winking as he took another sip of his drink and completely ignoring Taylor's barb about leaving. "Cell service has been a  _ biiiit _ spotty."

Taylor took a deep breath, narrowing his eyes at Jake knowingly. After several long seconds pause, he finally sighed. "I'm not getting rid of you at all, am I?" He said flatly.

Jake grinned and raised his glass in a mock toast. "Ya already funny when ya sober and  _ un _ friendly, Boy Scout… I reckon sloshed, ya gonna be even funnier, an' a  _ lot _ more friendly."

Taylor snorted. "Jokes on you, then." He said with a smirk, reaching over the bar and snatching at a random bottle, lifting it to read the label with a small frown. "Hmm…" he hummed, raising a brow. "Absinthe… perfect opener," he said with a grin.

"Hey, careful with that." Jake warned, blinking at Taylor in surprise. "'S strong shit. Knock ya offa ya feet, 'fore ya even get started…"

"Maybe it would  _ you _ ," Taylor sniggered, uncapping the bottle and winking smugly. He took a sip and smirked broadly. "Trick is to keep it off your tongue." He bragged.

"Heh, Boy Scout, I think we're gonna have a real swell time in here…" Jake huffed, eyeing him fondly.

Taylor hummed, taking another brief sip of Absinthe as he stepped back. "Move," he said after swallowing, gesturing with a vague sweeping motion. "I need to see what I have to work with here." He said, waiting as Jake raised a brow but took several steps to his right.

With a grin, Taylor planted his hand on the bar and quickly vaulted over, landing quietly on the balls of his feet and taking a victory sip when he didn't spill any Absinthe. "Alright,  _ now _ ya jus' showin' off," Jake snorted, as Craig cheered from down the bar.

"Damn, Taylor got some  _ moves _ , brah," he begrudgingly admitted, casting him an impressed look, while Zabra stared at him blankly.

"He'd have some moves if he actually got us some damn drinks." She countered, shoving her empty glass toward him, raising a brow in begrudging respect, when his wrist flicked out to catch it without lowering the bottle he was drinking from. "Huh… I guess that was pretty cool, or whatever."

Taylor flashed her a smug grin, warmth spreading through him and temporarily sweeping away his usual antisocial snark. "What's your poison, Hot Topic?" He asked, setting down his Absinthe and turning to pull various bottles down from the shelves.

"Something that's strong enough that it can kill enough brain cells and let me tune out Craig's voice." Zahra replied flatly.

"Hmm," Taylor feigned a thoughtful frown, tapping his chin with his finger and finally winking down the bar. "Sounds like you could do with a visit from Aunt Roberta," he said, smirking as he remived several bottle lids and sniffed their contents, before he finally separated a bottle of Gin, Brandy and Vodka from the collection he'd gathered, lastly rummaging on a shelf to find some Blackberry Liqueur. 

"This has promise…" Zahra admitted begrudgingly, watching him curiously, despite her effort to maintain a disinterested scowl. "That's everything?" She asked, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Almost," Taylor replied with a smirk, grabbing a large blender and beginning to mix equal measures of the four alcohols he had separated; before finally adding an equal measure of Absinthe. 

" _ Damn, _ Boy Scout… ya don't mess 'bout, do ya?" Jake chuckled, watching Taylor find the blender lid and slot the machine together rapidly. "Ya don't have to go all out on jus'  _ one _ drink, ya know? Ya can savour it, like… ya know, take ya time-"

"Time," Taylor sneered, switching on the blender and holding down the lid, watching the liquids swirl together for a few seconds. "Is one thing,  _ none  _ of us should waste anymore. Not  _ here _ anyway." He scoffed distractedly, switching off the machine and removing the large jug as he pulled off the lid. Jake frowned as Taylor fell silent, ignoring the pilot as he separated his concoction between four glasses, sliding two down the bar for Zahra and Craig to grab and try for themselves. 

"Oh…  _ mama _ ," Zahra purred, relaxing on her bar stool as she took a sip and shivered, a goofy grin spreading across her face. "That's the  _ good _ shit…"

"Whoa..!" Craig took a large swig, shaking his head and wincing as he paused before swallowing. His face broke out in a euphoric smile, his eyes glazing as he looked over at Taylor warmly. "That… bro,  _ that..! _ " 

Taylor smirked, raising one of the remaining glasses at the jock and taking a small sip. "You're welcome." He said smugly, turning to raise his brows at Jake's thoughtful frown. "What?" He asked innocently, taking another sip.

"Jus' realisin' why Shorty was so 'gainst ya drinkin'," the pilot replied, glancing at the last of the glasses. "That for me?" He asked, his expression lightening with a bright, lopsided grin.

Taylor frowned, glancing down at the fourth glass thoughtfully. "No," he decided, looking up with a grin as he took a larger sip of his drink. "I think I am gonna go ahead and drink both of these." He snickered, smirking as Jake snorted and shook his head.

"Ya a terrible drinker, Boy Scout," he chuckled. "Ain't no fun to be had, gettin' blitzed offa the first hit." He sighed, shaking his head forlornly.

"I'm not here to have fun, Jake." Taylor said, snickering at the pilots look of surprise. "I'm here to get drunk. I didn't want a crowd, or to make this some super fun, bonding party time… or whatever bullshit  _ you _ thought was going to happen by gate crashing," he explained, casting a faintly amused look over the pilot. "I came to  _ get drunk _ ; and the sooner I achieve that goal, the better I will feel about all the  _ shit _ I just went through; not to mention! Whatever  _ shit _ is yet to come my way, or hell,  _ our _ way, on this stupid hellhole of an island."

Jake's brows slowly rose on his forehead. "Why do I get this feelin' like I'm 'bout to see somehin' both fascinatin' an' terrifyin'?" He wondered aloud, shaking his head as Taylor smirked and finished off his first drink.

"Trust me, this is  _ nothing _ ," Taylor scoffed, scowling darkly at the ceiling. "Not compared to what's waiting for us on this island." He muttered scathingly, narrowing his eyes and picking up his second glass.

"Yeah?" Jake asked, taking a drink from his own drink, which he'd made for  _ himself _ before Taylor's arrival. "An' what  _ is _ that, exactly?" He pressed, gazing at Taylor intently as he made a show of ignoring him and staring at the ceiling.

"That… is a  _ big _ chandelier." He said in lieu of answering, turning a wide, innocent smirk at Jake. "Once I've loosened up enough, I'm gonna swing off that thing… just like in that song."

"That song is  _ lame! _ " Zahra yelled from down the bar, shoving her glass toward Taylor. "Now gimme more of my new favourite Auntie!" She demanded petulantly.

Taylor smirked as he turned towards her, but it was Jake who replied. "I ain't so sure none o' ya wanna be havin' no more o'  _ them, _ not tonight, anyhow." He said, raising his hands in placation when three haughty pouts turned in his direction. "'Ey, don't be givin' me none o' that, if ya'll really  _ want _ ya heads to be sorer'n a bears tomorrow, ya'll go right on 'head." He chuckled.

Taylor exaggerated a dramatic sigh. "Captain Buzzkill may be onto something there…" he reluctantly admitted, his lips turning down briey in a semi-apologetic grimace. "You lightweight should probably just use this as an intro and uh, stick to something less potent the rest of the day… night… whatever." He trailed off with a snort, raising his second glass and taking a large gulp.

"'Ey, I'm the life o' the goddamn party!" Jake protested, laughing as Taylor scoffed and took another sip of his drink, before opening some random bottles and sniffing them quickly. " _ Now _ what the hell're ya doin'?" He sighed with exasperation. 

"I want to find the one-five-one Rum and the Malibu…" Taylor replied distractedly, quickly working through the bottles and setting the two he wanted aside, before grabbing a carton of pineapple juice.

"What, an' ya can't jus' read the damn label?" Jake demanded, frowning at Taylor suspiciously when he smirked and laughed.

"Where's the fun in that?" He asked, flashing Jake a look which seemed to cause the pilot to do a double take of him suddenly. Taylor cocked his head curiously. "What?" He asked, though the usual irritation of his familiar question was noticeably absent.

Jake eyed him a moment longer, before clearing his throat and averting his eyes. "Nothin'..." he said lightly, though his brow furrowed slightly as he frowned at the back of the bar.

Taylor shrugged, not caring enough to press the pilot about the strange look he'd given him. The alcohol was beginning to loosen his tightly wound nerves, his music pulsing pleasantly in his ears. Taylor sighed, he was going to have a  _ good _ night. He snagged his drink for another sip, before quickly setting it aside, grabbing a new blender jug and mixing the entire carton of pineapple juice in with enough Malibu and Rum to make the cocktail still  _ kick _ pleasantly. He blended them quickly and then shoved the whole jug down the bar, letting Craig and Zahra pour for themselves. "There… don't say I never gave you anything!" He laughed, as they hurried to devour the mixture.

"Didn't have ya pegged for a Caibou Lou, fan." Jake chuckled from beside him. Taylor turned toward him to see the pilot had apparently got over whatever was bothering him, his brow furrowing into a scowl when he found the man smirking at him smugly. "Ya know, ya made me a promise last night. Next time we drink, ya lemme make ya one… inspire by  _ you _ ."

Taylor groaned. He'd been hoping Jake would have forgotten. "Okay…" he sighed, raising his hands and sauntering around the bar, plopping himself onto a stool and pouting at Jake. "But after this, I'm just hauling ass on all the whiskey in this place." He insisted.

Jake paused, raising a brow as he half moved past Taylor, turning back and eyeing him thoughtfully. "What's ya favourite?" He asked curiously.

Taylor narrowed his eyes. "Whatever one you just thought about squirrelling away somewhere." He bit back petulantly, snatching up his glass and glaring at Jake balefully over the rim as he drank the remains of his drink.

Jake laughed and shook his head, taking a deep breath and grinning as he looked at Taylor thoughtfully for a full minute, before he turned and began to quickly assemble his ingredients and mix them together.

Taylor watched the pilot curiously. _ The man knows his drinks, if nothing else. _ He thought, recalling his wisecrack about the Caribou Lou he'd made for the others. "It's Diego's favourite… aside from the Tequila Sunrise." He blurted abruptly, blushing lightly and gesturing toward the pitcher of alcohol which Craig and Zahra were demolishing between them.

"Huh," Jake hummed, flicking his eyes over Taylor with an odd, soft smile. Taylor shifted slightly in the hoped of cooling the warmth, rising in his cheeks. He bit his lip, shaking his head as he warned himself that he was being ridiculous; and was behaving  _ far _ too friendly. "I'll keep it in mind, next time I see 'im drinkin'," the pilot huffed, flashing Taylor a bright grin which seemed to genuinely dazzle him.

_ How can his eyes be  _ **_so_ ** _ clear?  _ He wondered distractedly.  _ I mean they're… they're like the sky! Which… wow, maybe they  _ **_are_ ** _ the sky..! And that's why he's a pilot! _ Taylor blinked slowly, barely noticing his thoughts as they flit quickly through his head. He closed his eyes and sighed contently, the strange bubbling sensation in his stomach becoming more of a pleasant thrum, a steady purr deep in his gut. He opened his eyes and grinned, reaching for the bottle of Absinthe; only for it to be snatched away from him. "Hey!" He protested, pouting at Jake in disapproval. 

"Jus' wait a goddamn second, ya impatient 'lil-" he snickered, shaking his head fondly. "I even went an' made this a triple stack, alright? Given how ya clearly plannin' on gettin' wasted as fast as ya can…" he said with a playful, mock frown.

Taylor rolled his eyes and propped his chin in his hands, scowling as he watched Jake throw his drink together with such confidence and ease that it was remarkably enjoyable to watch him work. At last Jake turned toward him, sliding a fresh and strangely colourful drink appeared before him. 

Taylor stared a moment, before he reached forward and took his unique drink between his palms. He narrowed his eyes at Jake suspiciously, the pilot snorting as he sipped from a glass which he'd prepared for himself. Finally, he sniffed it, raising a brow as he tried to pick out just what the pilot had used.

"Aw, c'mon, Boy Scout… ya killin' me here!" Jake finally laughed, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he shook his head and glanced away as if he were suddenly shy. "Ya wanted to bloody drink, so damn well drink!"

Taylor smirked at the pilots loss of composure. "Why, Top Gun," he drawled, playfully swirling his glass and slowly lifting it from the bar. "Anyone would think you were  _ nervous _ …" He teased. Jake rolled his eyes, looking back at Taylor in exasperation as he finally sipped his drink tentatively; humming appreciatively at the flood of flavours which hit him all at once.

"Huh," he finally said after several more, much larger sips. "That's all over the place. Salty and sweet, tangy and bitter, fruity and dry..." He mused, humming again as he tried to recall the names of all the different things Jake had mixed together.

"Yeah," Jake agreed slowly. Taylor looked up to find the pilot wearing an amused smile as he watched him drink the concoction he had put together for him. "It dunno what it wants to be yet, but..." Jake paused, meeting Taylor's eyes and locking with them as his grin turned playful. Taylor was suddenly very certain that they were  _ not _ talking about the drink anymore. "I think 's got potential to be anythin' it wants."

"Wow. That's..." Taylor took a deep breath, the drink hitting him harder as he continued to sip from it, a definitely pleasant surprise, given Jake's previous attempts to slow him down. "Surprisingly thoughtful."

"Ya had to go an' qualify that with  _ surprisingly _ , huh?" Jake huffed, smirking smugly as Taylor blinked and shook his head, enjoying the soft buzz from the alcohol, as it tingled through his fingertips. "I can't be  _ typically _ thoughtful?"

"Nope!" Taylor snorted, raising his drink in mock salute as his lips curved into a dark smirk. "Thanks for the drink, Top Gun." He said with a wink, before steadily draining his glass with a series of long, deep gulps. He set the glass down with an explosive gasp, panting quietly as he smiled and felt the next buzz race through his head at a dizzying speed. " _ Oof _ , that was  _ good _ … I admit it. But, you're wrong about just one thing." He said, laughing quietly as he snatched a bottle of whiskey from the bar without bothering to check the label.

"Oh?" Jake asked, raising a brow and half reaching to pull the bottle back, before seeming to think better of it. "An' what's that, exactly?" 

Taylor snorted, staring blankly at the bar as he smirked hollowly. "It can only ever be… exactly what it was  _ fated _ to be." He sneered quietly. "Potential, promises, dreams… none of it matters, because it was only ever  _ designed _ to be one thing; and that's  _ all _ it will ever be…" he said, blinking dazedly as he stared at the bar vacantly.

Jake frowned, concern touching his clear eyes. "Taylor..?" He murmured, reaching toward him tentatively.

Taylor shuddered, gasping and jerking away as he seemed to snap out of whatever thought or daydream he'd been stuck inside of. " _ Heh _ ," he scoffed, slipping out of his seat and breathlessly gliding away, blinking quickly as he made a show of wiggling his stolen bottle of whiskey. "You're not getting this back  _ that _ easy, Top Gun! It's all  _ mine..! _ " He taunted, smirking as he turned away and raised his arms over his head, dancing to a beat which only he could hear.

Taylor could feel Jake's eyes on him as he swished his hips and bounced to the lively tune which had been playing for a short time. "Don't tell me the King o' Unfriendly is a damn  _ dancer  _ o' all things," he called after awhile, as Taylor smirked at the far wall.

He hummed noncommittally, shuffling and swaying across the floor as he turned up the volume on his music player and tuned the three interlopers out entirely. He unscrewed the cap from his stolen whiskey, sniffing the nose of the bottle delicately for a moment, before purring and taking a long drink. 

Taylor ignored the rest of the room for some time, slowly working his way through the bottle in his hand as he bounced, jigged, swished and sashayed to his music. He strut his way around the opulent bar, his eyes curiously sweeping over the posh decor, his nose wrinkling at the excessive use of white and blue everywhere. He weaved between tables and chairs, even kicking one chair over and snorting at its loud clatter against the floor.

"Ha  _ ha, _ " Craig sniggered loudly, half raising a glass towards him when Taylor glanced over with a distracted, bleary gaze. "Taylor's getting his dis-dez- _ destruction _ on!" He chortled, almost falling off his stool when Zahra nudged him roughly.

" _ Please _ ," she scoffed, half sprawled across the bar. "That 'lil… 'lil  _ drumstick  _ couldn't trash a… a dumpster!" She snorted, hiccupping as she slid off the end of the bar.

Taylor hopped up onto the side of the chair, feigning a dramatic wobble before laughing and jumping lightly onto the nearest table. He shimmied his hips as he tilted his head back and sighed, relieved to have washed away all the fears, concerns and the stress of the day. It wouldn't last long, he knew, but for now; he just wanted to forget.

"Hey, Boy Scout… c'mon down, 'fore ya hurt yaself," Jake called, frowning as he walked around the bar and made his way over to the table. "Ya 'lil buddy's already havin' a heart attack jus' thinkin' ya drinkin'... let 'lone breakin' ya damn neck, fallin' offa-"

"Sorry, Top Gun," Taylor said playfully, his voice raised as he pretended not to hear him. "This is a party for  _ one _ ! Go find your own table!" He sniggered, turning away with a flourish of his whiskey. He leapt away lightly, bouncing over the table tops with an easy, natural movement while he drank.

"Why do I feel like I'm babysittin' 'gain?" Jake sighed, glancing over at Craig and Zahra and frowning at the pair, as they barely hung onto the end of the bar. "Aw, for cryin' out loud…  _ c'mon,  _ this ain't how I thought all o' this was gonna go!" He complained, scowling at Taylor as he laughed.

"Aw, did the silly widdle pilot think he was gonna have some play time?" He teased mockingly. "Maybe make  _ fwiends _ with the big, bad,  _ secretive _ Moody Man?" He snorted, drinking the remains of his bottle of whiskey before releasing a deep, gasping sigh, smirking and tossing the empty bottle to a scowling Jake. "I  _ told _ you that wasn't how this would go…" he taunted playfully, skipping across the tabletops gracefully.

"Huh, guess ya did at that…" Jake mused, clicking his tongue thoughtfully as he set the empty bottle he'd caught on a table and slowly followed Taylor around the room, keeping a cautious distance but sticking close as he watched him. "An' I guess, ya ain't gonna feel like tellin' me jus'  _ why _ ya so secretive or moody?" He drawled knowingly. "Or unfriendly, now I think 'bout it."

Taylor hummed and winked at him over his shoulder. "Very  _ ass _ tute there, Top Gun!" He sniggered, spreading his arms as he twirled around quickly and leapt sideways to another table, ducking to swipe a complementary, miniature bottle of champagne from the centre of the table. "So pretentious…" he sighed, popping the tiny cork and downing the bottle in three large gulps.

"Any particular reason ya don't wanna tell me?" Jake pressed, his hand drifting over the back of a chair lightly. "I mean, 's obviously botherin' ya… ya been wound tighter'n a coiled spring since we landed. Maybe, if ya lemme, I could hel-"

" _ Pfft _ , you can't  _ help _ ." Taylor scoffed, vaguely acknowledging that the pilot was partially correct about him without fully admitting it. "It's  _ none _ of your business what I do or don't tell you. You're nothing to me. As soon as we're off this stinking island, we'll never see each other again." He babbled with a sigh, hopping between tables and swapping his empty mini champagne bottle for the full one; draining it as quickly as he had the previous one. "And, I mean, that is just  _ fine _ ! Because, I don't need  _ anyone _ ! I… I am better off  _ alone _ where nobody can prod and poke and question and touch and… and…" Taylor trailed off with a hum, repeating his table hop and champagne switch routine a few more times as Jake watched him quietly.

"If that's so true, why the hell'd ya come here at all?" He wondered aloud, clearly trying to puzzle out the mystery that Taylor presented. "Ya ain't exactly kid the fact ya hate this island."

" _ Pfft, _ of course I hate this island, it's a fucking homing beacon for disaster." Taylor scoffed, rolling his eyes as if Jake were particularly slow witted. "I only came because I couldn't convince Diego to stay the hell away… I wasn't about to let him get himself killed here."

Jake chuckled, wiggling his brows at Taylor as he leaned on the back of a chair. "Sounds kinda like ya care 'bout 'im… which implies ya ain't so keen to be so  _ alone _ as ya make out." He said smugly, as Taylor snorted and turned to hide a small grin.

He wasn't about to let Jake know he'd actually,  _ mildly _ , impressed him by working it out.

"Ya know a fair bit 'bout this place, don't ya?" Jake pressed on, as Taylor danced lightly between tables, circling around the bar and casting occasional, longing glances up at the giant chandelier. "I'm guessin' ya ain't 'bout to tell me  _ how _ … but ya know it, all the same, don'tcha?"

"Hmm…" Taylor hummed, feigning an innocent smile. "Mayhap I do, and mayhap I don't." He said slyly, winking at Jake as he twirled away from the pilots side of the table. "But regardless of what I know or don't know… there's one thing you  _ should _ know," he said, pausing and blinking briefly, giggling at his own confusing words.

"Aye?" Jake asked, rounding the table and pausing before Taylor, his eyes travelling over him slowly as he looked up to meet his amused gaze. "An' what's  _ that _ , exactly?" He asked with a faintly dry voice.

Taylor smirked, bracing his hands on his thighs and sliding them down his legs as he slowly lowered himself into a crouch, leaning toward Jake tauntingly. "La Huerta craves your death… and mine, and everybody else here.  _ Nothing _ is what it seems and  _ nothing  _ will ever be the seem again after, or  _ if _ , you leave." Taylor drawled, his eyes half closed as he watched Jake swallow heavily, the pilots eyes dropping unsubtly to his lips. "The things you  _ see _ , the things you  _ experience _ …  _ everything  _ will change you and the way you see the world. You'll know things… and you'll  _ wish _ you didn't." He whispered, leaning closer to Jake briefly and inhaling slowly, a soft hum escaping his throat as he sniffed the whiskey aroma of his jacket.

"This island… is  _ death _ ." Taylor whispered, smirking as he leaned back from Jake again and sat back on his heels, his arms draped over his knees. "And it will throw everything it can at you, to try and possess you." He said, sighing as he pushed fluidly to his feet. "Every worst nightmare you ever had… it knows. And it  _ will  _ throw them all at you."

Taylor eyed Jake dispassionately for another brief pause, feeling a brief stab of guilt for the pilot as he paled and swallowed heavily. "Whatever it is you want from me," Taylor said abruptly, his expression blank as he stared down at the pilot coolly. "It will never happen." He said frankly.

Jake raised a brow. "What makes ya think I want anythin' from ya?" He asked, cocking his head up at Taylor as he rolled his eyes and turned away, stretching his leg across to the bar and hopping onto it lightly, reaching up for one of the whiskey bottles on the top shelf. "Maybe all I want is to help ya, like ya brother does…"

"Nobody wants to  _ just _ help, or  _ just _ be a friend." Taylor scoffed, twisting off the cap from his bottle gruffly. "Diego, you, Mister Muscle and his Pep-Crew… none of you can do a  _ damn thing _ . So why not just mind your business; and leave me to mine, which right now? Happens to be  _ drinking _ ," he sighed, tipping his head back and taking a  _ long _ drink, emptying half the bottle before lowering it with a small burp and a content snigger.

Jake sighed heavily, his clear eyes seeming to see straight through Taylor's bravado for a moment, leaving him to squirm awkwardly under his scrutiny, feeling unusually vulnerable. "Ya been through some shit, ain't ya, Boy Scout?" He finally chuckled, though there was no amusement in the sound.

Taylor looked away and didn't answer, taking a much less enthusiastic drink as he felt Jake's eyes sweep over him again. "I'm gonna go get ya 'lil buddy," the pilot said at last, shaking his head as if clearing it. He smirked up at Taylor, who scowled back at him petulantly. "Somethin' tells me ya had enough for tonight, an' he's the only one ya'll listen to."

"Are you  _ seriously _ going to tattle on me?" He demanded haughtily, narrowing his eyes at Jake when he smirked and winked at him smugly.

"Hey, I offered to help an' ya chose to turn me down…" he said, grinning as he spread his palms and backed away slowly. "Ya change ya mind, gimme a holler, yeah?" 

" _ Pfft _ , keep holding your breath for that," Taylor snorted derisively, shaking his head in amusement and taking another drink as he slowly sauntered down the bar and eyed the chandelier again thoughtfully.

"Try not to fall an' break ya neck, 'fore I get Shorty up here, 'ey?" Jake called, running his eyes over him worriedly for a moment, as he hesitated in the doorway.

" _ Scout's honour, sir _ !" Taylor laughed, feigning a cocky salute as he smirked and took a large drink from his bottle.

Jake sighed and shook his head, disappearing out the door as Taylor heaved an explosive sigh. "Oh thank god… I thought the Party Pooper Poodle was  _ never  _ gonna leave!" He said with an exaggerated eye roll, strutting halfway down the bar and then leaping lightly to the floor, grabbing a half dozen glasses and dotting them around the room, pouring a small shot of whiskey into each as he went.

If his time was limited, he was going to damn well have some fun while he could.

Taylor pulled out his music player from his pocket, scrolling through the songs quickly and grinning when he found the one he was after. He hit play and slid it back into his pocket, clipping it into place as a precaution.

He hummed and closed his eyes, swaying gently as the music began to lull through his head, the lyrics soon crooning in his ears as his body moved lithely around the room, twisting, twirling and gliding gracefully; despite his heavy alcohol consumption.

At the first chorus, Taylor bounded around the room, his arms over his head as he leaned back and spun himself around slowly, his leg locked in a half raised poise.

His energetic burst slowed with the fading chorus, the next verse speaking to him; as it always had.

" _ Sun is up, I'm a mess… gotta get out now, gotta run from this, here comes the shame… here comes the shame _ ~" he whispered in a rush, closing his eyes as he turned his back to the nearest table and spun around it slowly.

" _ One, two, three… one, two, three; drink _ !" He hissed, snatching a glass from where he'd placed it on the edge of the table and downing it quickly. " _ One, two, three… one, two, three; drink _ !" He repeated, sliding the glass along the table and snatching up the second as he spun around the edge of the next table. " _ One, two, three… one, two, three; drink _ !" He gasped, using the tipped chair to lightly leap onto a table and then pirouetting across the surface and leaping onto the bar again. " _ Throw 'em back 'til I lose count _ …" he whispered, staring at the end of the bar where Zahra and Craig were slumped and grinning slowly.

Taylor was moving before the first crescendo note, his feet quick and light as he raced along the bar toward the wall, leaping lightly and running  _ up _ the surface quickly. " _ I'm..!" _ He cried, twisting and licking off from the wall, leaping across the vagely conscious Zahra and Craig and grabbing hold of the chandelier with a faint whoop. " _ Gonna swing… from the chandelier _ ..!"

" _ From the chandelier!"  _ He cried, swinging himself upward and balancing his feet on one of the thin bars which connected the rings of the chandelier.

" _ I'm gonna live like tomorrow doesn't exist…" _ he sang breathlessly, twirling gracefully along the beam and flipping over slowly, bracing his hands on the bar in front of him before kicking his legs over his head and once again balancing on the bar. " _ Like it doesn't exist _ !" He repeated with a rasp, twisting in a series of complex pirouettes along the bar.

"I'm gonna fly~!" He cheered, grabbing the line of tiny lights and leaning out from the chandelier, twisting himself around the body of the enormous body of lights and letting go as he swung up to another bar. " _ Like a bird through the night..! Feel my tears as they dry _ !"

Taylor twisted effortlessly along the bar, his head snapping around to glance briefly at where to next place his foot, before his next revolution took over. "I'm~!" He cried, closing his eyes and leaning backwards, only to hook his foot over the bar and swing himself upside down, twirling the chandelier around with him. " _ Gonna swing… from the chandelier! From the chandelier~ _ !"

"Taylor!" Diego's terrified cry made Taylor open his eyes, peering down at his friend upside down, as he ran into the room with a similarly terrified looking Jake just behind him. "What the…  _ how _ did you- Oh god, I don't care, just… oh god, don't  _ fall!" _

Taylor ignored his friend and the pilot, stretching his arms over is head as his shirt rode up his stomach and pooled around his neck, swinging himself back and then throwing himself forward, swinging easily up to grab the chandelier bar.

" _ But I'm holding on for dear life… _ " he sighed, pulling himself up to stand on the bar again. " _ Won't look down... won't open my eyes _ ," he whispered, twirling around the top of the chandelier on his tiptoes. " _ Keep my glass full until morning light… _ " he said, grabbing the centre of the chandelier and leaning out, twirling the enormous light slowly. " _ 'Cause I'm just holding on for tonight _ !"

"Holy hell… he usually pull this kinda shit when he drinks?" Jake demanded of Diego, as Taylor released the chandelier cord and performed a trio of back flips along the bar, unaware or uncaring of the heart attack which his behaviour was affording his brother below.

"No… we usually lock ourselves in our room and we nail the window shut for the night," Diego said distractedly, biting his nail as he watched Taylor twirl and pirouette around the chandelier thoughtlessly.

"The  _ window _ ?!" Jake spluttered, glancing at Diego in disbelief and looking back at Taylor slowly when he nodded distractedly. 

" _ Help me, I'm holding on for dear life _ ..." Taylor sighed, swinging himself lazily around the chandelier with wide, spiralling footsteps. " _ Won't look down, won't open my eyes!"  _ He insisted gruffly, trotting forward a half dozen paces before flipping himself forward on the bar. " _ Keep my glass full until morning light _ …" he all but pleaded, his hips swaying as he slowly leaned out from the chandelier again.

" _ 'Cause I'm just holding on for tonight…" _ He sighed wistfully, his foot hooking over the bar of the chandelier as Taylor and Jake both exclaimed his name loudly, while Taylor rolled his eyes. " _ On for tonight... on for tonight _ !" He whispered, swinging himself up to grab the very tip of the chandelier, releasing his foot and swinging loosely for a moment, before lifting his legs over his head and releasing the chandelier altogether. 

"Oh my god-!" Diego's horrified gasp trailed off, his face turning to hide in Jake's jacket as Taylor lazily turned himself over and landed on his feet on the bar, crouching low to brace his impact, before standing and staring down at the floor blankly.

Jake's eyes, never left him the entire time, he was sure. "He's alright," he assured Diego lowly, who reluctantly freed his face from Jake's jacket and gave a cry of relief at seeing Taylor unharmed on the bar.

"You  _ idiot _ !" He roared, a dark scowl on his face as Taylor blinked and looked up at him slowly, as if surprised to see him there. "What the  _ hell _ do you think you're doing? Trying to kill me?! Dude,  _ get down _ from there!" He barked furiously, roughly wiping beneath his eyes with the back of his fist.

Taylor blinked, before hopping down from the bar lightly, gazing blearily at Diego as his brother marched over to him and hesitated; scowling up at him, before his expression crumpled and he buried his face in Taylor's chest. "You asshole, Taylor…" he muttered between hitching sobs, his fist banging lightly against Taylor's shoulder.

Taylor looked vacantly over Diego's shoulder, indifferent to his brothers distress as he stared at the wall. "C'mon…" Jake said quietly, his hand gently as he nudged both Taylor and Diego by the shoulder. "Drax an' Skrillex are out for the count," he said, gesturing toward the pair as they snored on the floor. "Lemme get ya outta here an' I'll come see to 'em… 'cause apparently I'm a full time babysitter 'gain." He snorted, cocking his head curiously when Taylor sighed tiredly and unexpectedly tipped his head to lean on Jake's shoulder. "Uh…"

"You smell like whiskey," Diego explained, shaking his head as Taylor closed his eyes and nuzzled Jake's jacket lapel lightly. "His favourite, if I'm not mistaken… Finnigan's? He's probably just… seeking comfort." He said, sighing and helping Jake guide an oddly docile Taylor from the bar. "I think today's wreaked a lot more havoc on him than he was willing to admit."

"Heh, ya don't gotta tell  _ me _ , Shorty." Jake scoffed, pausing halfway down the hall to call the elevator. "He tore me a new one in there already… he's got a whole lotta unpacked trauma goin' on." He said darkly.

Diego glanced at Jake, biting his lip uncertainly as they waited for the elevator, Taylor a silent but heavy wall between them. "You know he hates these things..?" He said, chickening out of confessing his thoughts to the pilot as he had Quinn.

"Yeah, well, his sorry ass can deal with it." Jake snorted, guiding them through the doors sideways as they slid open. "He got himself in this mess, he'll jus' have to cope with folk takin' care o' him after, even if he don't want 'em to." He huffed, jostling Taylor carefully as he reached to press the button for the penthouse floor.

The doors slid closed, sealing them inside and slowly climbing through the levels. Taylor sighed contently, rubbing his face against Jake's jacket lapels as Diego raised a brow in amusement. "Is he…  _ blushing _ ?" He snickered, his eyes flitting up to Jake briefly as the pilot lowered his eyes from the elevator needle, to look down at Taylor. 

The pilots exasperated expression melted, his lips twitching as he beheld the soft pink glow of Taylor's cheeks. "'S the booze…" Jake murmured, though Diego saw something soften in his gaze. All at once Jake's expression changed, his eyes growing distant and detached. "He'll be right back to hatin' everyone in the mornin', me included." He chuckled, looking back at the elevator needle and locking his gaze on it.

Diego frowned, lowering his gaze and chewing his lip as the elevator rose slowly. Taylor sighed softly, a contented hum raising from him as he nuzzled his face into Jake's jacket more fervently, though the pilot studiously avoided looking at him again. Diego peeked up at Jake, the words hovering on his tongue as he took a deep breath; just as the doors pinged open.

His courage evaporated, Diego helped Jake shuffle Taylor out of the elevator, leading him down the hall to his room. "Wow…" Jake's brows rose when Diego awkwardly worked the door open, revealing the large tree in the centre of the room. "This place ain't stopped at any damn expense, has it?" He huffed, shaking his head at the unthinkable cost.

"I wouldn't be surprised to find this place has a gold bathroom somewhere," Diego chuckled, tipping his head towards the large four poster bed and helping Jake drag Taylor over.

They say him down on the edge if the mattress, but Taylor whined as Jake pulled away, his hand fitting into his jacket as he peered up at him through bleary eyes. " _ Nnnn _ -" he protested wordlessly.

"I have  _ never _ seen him like this…" Diego said, shaking his head as he watched his friend in wide eyed wonder. "I don't know what's gotten into him lately. He hasn't been himself since he found out where we were going on this trip." He said, watching as Jake finally gave up trying to extricate his jacket from Taylor's grip and instead slid his arms out of it with a soft huff of exasperation. 

"I'm gonna be wantin' that back in the mornin', Boy Scout…" he warned quietly, narrowing his eyes as Taylor preened and finally laid down, wrapping the soft side of Jake's jacket under his cheek and burying his nose in it. "Jeez… he's a real piece o' work." The pilot huffed, running his fingers through his hair distractedly as he frowned down at Taylor.

Diego watched them both for a long pause, the pilot's eyes clouded by something he couldn't place; his best friend grinning as he nestled his face in the other mans jacket. "He doesn't hate you, you know." He said abruptly, blushing and glancing away when Jake looked over with a raised brow. "I think… I think actually it's the opposite."

"Heh, he's got a  _ weird _ way o' showin' affection then, Shorty." Jake scoffed, shaking his head in amusement and looking down at Taylor with another small frown. 

Diego bit his lip and narrowed his eyes, trying to choose his words carefully. "Taylor has always pushed everyone away… me included." He said slowly, lowering his voice to a hesitant whisper as Jake looked back at him in surprise. "He has issues. I don't think it's trust, so much as… just, closeness. Relationships." He said tentatively, glancing at Jake and then looking away again. 

"Relationships?" Jake repeated, frowning briefly before his eyes widened and he cocked a thumb toward Taylor. "Ya mean, he ain't  _ never-?! _ "

"Taylor has a thing about touching, in case you hadn't noticed." Diego chuckled awkwardly. Talking about his best friends virginity was not a conversation he had ever envisioned having; as well as one he hoped never to have again. "Physical contact, but even  _ more _ importantly; emotional bonds." He said, stepping closer to the bed and looking down at his friend sadly. "I never asked him why. But, I mentioned it to Quinn before… and I think maybe, you should know too." He said, biting his lip nervously before slowly lifting his eyes to Jake's piercing gaze. "Whatever happened to him as a kid, whatever it was… I think it almost killed him. And, I think because of that, he separated himself from the world; and everything in it."

Jake seemed to take a long time to process that notion, staring through Diego's shoulder as he worked through the idea for himself. "Well," he said at last, inhaling a deep breath and looking down at Taylor thoughtfully. "It'd certainly explain a lot 'bout 'im, I guess…" he said, narrowing his eyes he considered. "He don't wanna form any kinda attachment to nobody… so he can't even bring himself to touch 'em. 'S rare, but even a back water hick like me knows o' it."

"So… you don't think I'm crazy or paranoid?" Diego pressed lightly, relieved when Jake shook his head gently.

"Naw, nowhere near, Short Stuff." The pilot replied, scrubbing a hand over his stubbled jaw as he eyed Taylor thoughtfully. "Like I said, makes a lotta sense. Only real question… is what the bloody hell happened to 'im?" He wondered aloud, raising a brow and glancing over at Diego with a grin. "That an' why the hell he ain't 'fraid o' bein' connected to  _ you _ ."

Diego smiled, leaning closer to the bed and toying with Taylor's short hair fondly. "I'm his brother…" he said warmly. "In everything but blood. He knows that I'll always stand by him… but it's not like other relationships. It's… it's  _ familial. _ "

Jake nodded thoughtfully, digesting the idea slowly. "Well," he said at long last, dragging his hand through his hair with a sigh. "I reckon he's gonna sleep pretty deep tonight, but he's gonna have a helluva sore head in the mornin'..."

"Nah, Taylor doesn't get hangovers." Diego said flippantly. "But could you get him some water? He died tend to wake up randomly and drink a lot…" he said, his brow furrowing worriedly as he watched Taylor sleep and curl around Jake's jacket.

Jake rolled his eyes at the sight, but Diego noticed the soft, upward pull of his lips as he passed. He looked back at Taylor, shaking his head as he sighed softly. "What the hell am I gonna do with you?" He murmured, a fond smile forming as he watched Taylor nuzzle his face into Jake's jacket. "You know… I think I finally figured out who you're crushing on." He huffed. 

"Hey, Shorty…" Jake's low call made Diego look toward the en suite bathroom curiously, a confused frown forming when he spotted the pilot in the doorway with a closed expression on his face. "Ya better see this." He said, stepping back and gesturing inside.

Diego glanced back at Taylor, reluctantly peeling himself from his side to follow after the pilot. "What's wro-?" He began, but he quickly let the question fade. It was hard to miss the smashed mirror. "What the hell..?" He wondered instead, walking over and tentatively touching the spiralled cracks.

"'S a punch… pretty strong one an' all." Jake said quietly, gazing through the doorway thoughtfully. "Gimme a sec." He said abruptly, disappearing back into Taylor's room as Diego shook his head and gazed into the fractured mirror. 

Seconds later, Jake returned, his eyes clouded by something Diego couldn't read. "What is it? What did you-?"

"He trashed the room." Jake said quietly, tipping his head toward the main room. "Broken vase on the floor, plus a few rips he couldn't clean up with whatever other damage he did." He said, looking back at the mirror darkly. "Somethin' happened. Upset him… whatever it was, it was pretty bad."

Diego shook his head. "You're telling me that Taylor..?" He asked, gesturing to the mirror with a frown. He lifted his hands to his hair, tugging it in frustration until he recalled a snippet of their morning. "He… he had blood, on his hand. He said it was a nosebleed." He said, looking at Jake in concern.

"Reckon that's what actually happened." Jake scoffed, gesturing at the mirror. He sighed at they both moved back into the main room, walking around the bed to peer down at Taylor thoughtfully. "He don't seriously sleep with that shit on, does he?" Jake wondered suddenly, gesturing at the headphones still in Taylor's ears.

"He always has something on." Diego said quietly. "Jake… what's going on with him?" He asked slowly, looking up at the pilot pleadingly.

"I dunno," Jake admitted. "But I don't reckon it'll be long 'til we find out. Whatever it is, he's-" Jake paused, frowning as he cocked his head.

"What is it-?" Diego blinked when the pilot hastened to cover his mouth with his hand, raising a finger to his lips urgently. He noticed Jake's attention was focused on Taylor, who was shivering and whimpering quietly as he curled into Jake's jacket.

" _ Nnnn _ ..!" He whined, huddling in on himself. Diego reached for him, but Jake held out his arm, preventing him from interrupting Taylor's troubled sleep. " _ D-don't… don't touch-! _ " he whimpered pathetically, burying his face in Jake's jacket and inhaling deeply, his shaking abating as he seemed to calm slightly. "...  _ Vaanu arkhala La Huerta… nostaron, nostaron vaak tui! Koh... koh mishrap tui..! _ " He mumbled indistinctly, his face twisting in a mixture of grief, fear and pain.

Diego pushed past Jake's arm, his hand slipping into Taylor's as he dropped to his side. "It's okay, Taylor… it's okay, I'm here. You're okay…" he soothed quickly, frowning as Taylor tensed and yanked his hand away, curling in on himself and burying his face in Jake's jacket.

"Don't wake 'im," Jake said gently, resting his hand on Diego's shoulder. "He's real sensitive right now, stuck deep in a bad place." He explained.

Diego looked up with a helpless frown, about to ask how he knew; when he noticed the sympathetic gleam in the pilots gaze. He looked back at Taylor, shaking his head in confusion. "What was that?" He wondered aloud.

"I ain't sure…" Jake admitted quietly. "Shorty… ya say ya  _ found _ 'im, when ya were kids?" He asked suddenly, his sharp eyes focusing on Diego so intently that he almost flinched. 

"Y-yeah… I saw him looking in a trash can for food outside my school." Diego explained, frowning in confusion. "Why?"

"How old were ya?" Jake pressed, scrubbing his hand over the stubble which dusted his cheek, glancing at Taylor before returning his piercing gaze to Diego. "Where 'bouts was ya school..? Was it near a hospital or a… a airfield?"

"What?" Diego shook his head, scowling in confusion. "What does that have to do with-?" 

"Jus'  _ think _ an' answer me, dammit!" Jake bit out gruffly, surprising Diego with his vehement insistence. "I promise I'll explain, Shorty but  _ please _ … think real hard an' tell me as  _ much _ as ya can remember, 'kay?" He asked.

Diego frowned, glancing at Taylor uncertainly. "We were five… maybe six?" He said hesitantly, narrowing his eyes as he tried to recall their long ago meeting. "I was on lunch break… sitting alone and, I saw him through the fence. He was like, a wild animal, kind of… almost feral." He said slowly. "I don't know why but, I just felt like he needed help. He had some baggy clothes on… basic blue things, I don't… I can't quite remember."

"Could they've been hospital garb? Ya know the sort, the shitty gowns an' scrubs…" Jake suggested, seeming like he was coiled tight and ready to spring.

Diego shook his head. "I don't know… maybe? It was so long ago," he said apologetically, sighing and trying to remember as much as he could, like Jakw has asked. "I shared some lunch with him, through the fence. He didn't trust me at all… he ran away everytime I held out my hand, then he'd come back and snatch whatever I offered him. He was there every day for a week, so finally I decided to try and find him after school… I managed to convince him to follow me home, and he climbed in through my bedroom window." He said, fidgeting awkwardly.

"Ya folks didn't know?" Jake asked, his brows rising in surprise.

Diego looked away, blushing and toying with the edge of the bed covers. "He wasn't exactly very clean or friendly… I knew they wouldn't let him in like that." He admitted quietly. "So uh, until I got him to start talking and cleaned him up a little, he was sort of… my secret, I guess."

"Huh… an' he wouldn't talk at all?" Jake pressed, his eyes returning almost unconsciously to Taylor as he slept, a small frown on his brow.

"Not really, he mostly just growled and scowled." Diego snorted fondly. "That and made hand gestures, usually fairly rude ones at that."

Jake snickered quietly, shaking his head and clicking his tongue thoughtfully. "An' the hospitals or airfields..? Were there any 'round ya school area?" He asked again.

Diego thought hard, trying to remember his old school and the buildings around it. "I don't think…" he began, cocking his head thoughtfully. "Wait! There was Edenbrook Hospital, but it was a good six blocks away… they had a helipad on the roof, but the nearest airport was another couple of miles. I don't think we had a military airbase, not the kind you're thinking, anyway." Jake nodded slowly, processing the information slowly.

Diego fidgeted restlessly, his eyes darting between his sleeping best friend and the pilot who occasionally narrowed his eyes at him. "Please…" he finally pleaded, unable to keep his silence any longer. "What do you think all of this means?"

Jake sighed, running his hands through his hair and then dragging them over his stubbled cheeks. "I think…" he said slowly. "I  _ think _ , ya might've been right. I think  _ somethin' _ almost killed 'im… an' I think it happened  _ here _ ."

" _ What _ ?!" Diego yelped, covering his mouth quickly when Taylor groaned sulkily and turned his face into Jake's jacket, mumbling something unintelligible. "That doesn't make sense, Taylor's never been here before!"

"Ya sure 'bout that, Shorty?" Jake asked, guiding them both a short distance further from the bed. "He knows more 'bout this island than anyone else here, not that he'll openly admit it… ya said yaself, he freaked when ya told 'im ya won a trip here; an' he told me he  _ only _ came to stop  _ you _ gettin' yaself killed here." He said, ticking off his fingers thoughtfully. "Now I ain't a expert in languages, so I dunno what gobbledegook he was jus' spoutin', but I'm guessin' 's somethin' akin to a plea for help… he mentioned this  _ Vaanu _ thing in the cave we found, an' La Huerta speaks for itself."

He paused, shaking his head and looking back at the sleeping figure curled on the bed. "My best guess? He was runnin' 'way from somethin'... an' perhaps he stowed 'way, offa the island, or maybe he saw Rourke's folk, settin' up an' begged for help…" he said, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "If he's native, it'd explain why he never talked to ya 'fore…"

"Because he didn't know English?" Diego guessed, reluctantly following the pilots logic and disliking that it made so much sense. "So, what you're saying is that… Taylor is…" he said slowly, looking up at Jake in disbelief.

Jake nodded slowly. "Aye," he said quietly, his clear eyes confident and certain of his assumption. "He's  _ from _ La Huerta."


End file.
